﻿HISTORY 
  OF 
  THE 
  DISEASES 
  IN 
  THE 
  UNITED 
  STATES. 
  201 
  

  

  that 
  the 
  disease 
  was 
  really 
  introduced 
  in 
  this 
  manner. 
  Is 
  it 
  not 
  possible 
  that 
  the 
  disease 
  

   was 
  there 
  already, 
  unknown 
  to 
  any 
  one, 
  and 
  that 
  I 
  simply 
  re-introduced 
  its 
  germs 
  ? 
  

   The 
  reason 
  for 
  this 
  belief 
  is 
  based 
  upon 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  too 
  large 
  an 
  area 
  was 
  infested 
  

   by 
  the 
  disease 
  — 
  too* 
  large 
  to 
  be 
  readily 
  accounted 
  for 
  by 
  the 
  short 
  time 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  

   atmospheric 
  conditions 
  were 
  (apparently) 
  in 
  its 
  favor. 
  But 
  this 
  may 
  be 
  as 
  it 
  is; 
  one 
  

   thing 
  is 
  certain, 
  viz., 
  the 
  disease 
  has 
  been 
  there, 
  and 
  consequently 
  the 
  spores 
  of 
  the 
  

   fungus 
  producing 
  it 
  are 
  there 
  also, 
  and 
  remain 
  there, 
  to 
  act 
  whenever 
  the 
  conditions 
  

   are 
  favorable; 
  and 
  I 
  firmly 
  believe 
  that 
  our 
  farmers 
  need'not 
  entertain 
  any 
  fears 
  of 
  

   chinch-bugs 
  for 
  the 
  near 
  future. 
  

  

  In 
  this 
  year, 
  1888, 
  to 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  now 
  come 
  in 
  the 
  discussion 
  of 
  the 
  history 
  

   of 
  chinch-bug 
  diseases, 
  my 
  own 
  observations 
  began. 
  In 
  continuing 
  this 
  dis- 
  

   cussion 
  up 
  to 
  date, 
  however, 
  I 
  shall 
  make 
  only 
  incidental 
  mention 
  of 
  my 
  ob- 
  

   servations 
  and 
  published 
  articles, 
  referring 
  the 
  reader 
  to 
  another 
  portion 
  of 
  

   this 
  report 
  (see 
  pp. 
  7-172 
  ) 
  for 
  the 
  history 
  of 
  my 
  work. 
  In 
  this 
  year 
  I 
  noted 
  

   the 
  presence 
  of 
  the 
  chinch-bug 
  disease 
  or 
  diseases 
  in 
  Kansas, 
  and 
  in 
  1889 
  be- 
  

   gan 
  experimenting 
  with 
  diseased 
  and 
  healthy 
  bugs 
  in 
  the 
  laboratory. 
  I 
  was 
  

   soon 
  convinced 
  of 
  the 
  reasonableness 
  of 
  attempting 
  field 
  experiments, 
  my 
  

   plan 
  being 
  to 
  convey 
  the 
  disease 
  from 
  diseased 
  to 
  healthy 
  bugs 
  by 
  association, 
  

   rather 
  than 
  by 
  infection 
  with 
  artificial 
  cultures. 
  Such 
  cultures, 
  however, 
  

   were 
  begun 
  at 
  once, 
  with 
  results 
  noted 
  in 
  my 
  report 
  of 
  the 
  work 
  in 
  the 
  labo- 
  

   ratory. 
  Sending, 
  on 
  his 
  request, 
  a 
  small 
  number 
  of 
  bugs 
  killed 
  by 
  contagion 
  

   in 
  my 
  laboratory 
  to 
  Prof. 
  F. 
  M. 
  Webster, 
  of 
  La 
  Fayette, 
  Ind., 
  Professor 
  Web- 
  

   ster 
  used 
  them 
  to 
  begin 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  interesting 
  experiments. 
  Professor 
  Web- 
  

   ster's 
  observations 
  are 
  presented 
  in 
  his 
  annual 
  report 
  as 
  special 
  agent 
  of 
  the 
  

   Division 
  of 
  Entomology, 
  United 
  States 
  Department 
  of 
  Agriculture, 
  in 
  bulle- 
  

   tin 
  No. 
  22 
  of 
  the 
  division, 
  entitled 
  "Reports 
  of 
  Observations 
  and 
  Experi- 
  

   ments 
  in 
  the 
  Practical 
  Work 
  of 
  the 
  Division 
  made 
  under 
  the 
  Direction 
  of 
  the 
  

   Entomologist" 
  (1890). 
  I 
  quote 
  from 
  Professor 
  Webster's 
  report, 
  pp. 
  60-63, 
  

   as 
  follows 
  : 
  

  

  That 
  dry 
  weather 
  during 
  spring 
  and 
  early 
  summer 
  is 
  almost 
  invariably 
  associated 
  

   with 
  an 
  increase, 
  and 
  wet 
  weather 
  during 
  the 
  same 
  period 
  with 
  a 
  decrease 
  of 
  chinch- 
  

   bugs, 
  is 
  usually 
  true; 
  but 
  why 
  this 
  is 
  so 
  has 
  never 
  been 
  definitely 
  explained. 
  

  

  The 
  fungoid 
  disease 
  known 
  as 
  Entomophthora 
  has, 
  since 
  it 
  was 
  studied 
  by 
  Doc- 
  

   tor 
  Shimer, 
  been 
  known 
  to 
  be 
  much 
  more 
  fatal 
  in 
  wet 
  than 
  in 
  dry 
  weather. 
  How 
  

   far 
  this 
  would 
  prove 
  true, 
  and 
  to 
  what 
  extent 
  the 
  farmer 
  could 
  rely 
  upon 
  this 
  fungus 
  

   to 
  keep 
  the 
  chinch-bug 
  in 
  check, 
  gave 
  the 
  incentive 
  for 
  carrying 
  out 
  the 
  following 
  

   experiments. 
  

  

  Early 
  in 
  July, 
  1889, 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  chinch-bugs, 
  principally 
  pupae 
  nearing 
  the 
  

   last 
  molt, 
  were 
  placed 
  in 
  a 
  close 
  glass 
  vessel 
  and 
  kept 
  in 
  a 
  very 
  damp 
  atmosphere* 
  

   and 
  under 
  high 
  temperature. 
  Although 
  kept 
  for 
  two 
  weeks 
  under 
  these 
  conditions' 
  

   we 
  failed 
  to 
  produce 
  the 
  Entomophthora 
  among 
  them. 
  This 
  was 
  accepted 
  as 
  evidence 
  

   that 
  the 
  fungus 
  did 
  not 
  exist 
  in 
  any 
  stage 
  of 
  development 
  here 
  at 
  La 
  Fayette, 
  Ind. 
  ? 
  

   although 
  it 
  was 
  reported 
  from 
  an 
  adjoining 
  State. 
  

  

  On 
  July 
  20th 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  year 
  [1889], 
  we 
  received 
  some 
  dead 
  chinch-bugs 
  from 
  

   Prof. 
  F. 
  H. 
  Snow, 
  of 
  Lawrence, 
  Kas., 
  which 
  were 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  affected 
  by 
  Entomophthora. 
  

   These 
  diseased 
  bugs 
  were 
  placed 
  under 
  glass 
  with 
  living 
  ones 
  from 
  the 
  fields, 
  the 
  lat- 
  

   ter 
  being 
  provided 
  with 
  food, 
  and 
  kept 
  thus 
  confined 
  for 
  53 
  hours, 
  when 
  the 
  major 
  

   portion 
  of 
  them 
  were 
  placed 
  on 
  several 
  hills 
  of 
  corn 
  seriously 
  infested 
  by 
  bugs, 
  the 
  

  

  