﻿54 SEVENTH ANNUAL REPORT 



not think your Secnnr] Report is at all known or distrihuted amonof the people of this^ 

 county. To day, I inquired at every place in town whi-re I miirlit expect to find it, but 

 could not. Nor could those most likely to know tell nie anything' of it. — w. h. a. 



4 — On account of our extreme drouth here the last season the Chinch Bug did 

 more than its usuhI amount of damao-e— probably $100,000 worrii. — a. a. d. .\ny esti- 

 mate of said damaofe would be hard to make, approxiniatino- the truth, without a vast 

 deal of trouble, as our wheat was affected some, but chiefly because of the drouth, antt 

 oats almost a failure from the same cause. True, both suffered some from the bug, 

 and as to the corn crop in our county, perhaps not one-sixth of an average crop was 

 harvested ; one-half of which might be owing to the prevalence of the bug— that is to 

 saj', without eitlier bug or drouth, and with either alone three times as much could 

 have been raised. Our wheat crop was better than an average since '68. — j j. b. Can- 

 not estimate the damage from this source this year, as it is impossible to say how much 

 is attributable to the drouth and how much to the bug. Some farmers think they 

 would have had much better corn if it had not been for the bug, but as they raised 

 almost none, it is a doubtful question. — w. h. a. 



Bates County. 



1 — The corn crop has suffered most the past season from their ravages. * * «- 

 The first crop was not two-thirds grown at the time of wheat harvest. They com- 

 menced to fly July 20th and settled all through the corn-fields, but the greatest injury 

 ■was done by tJie second crop in the latter part of August and first of September. We 

 think the third crop of them was hatched the first of October, but are inclined to think 

 not many of them came to ujaturity as we find them dead on the corn-stalks now not 

 more than half grown. * * * — w. r. t. 



2 — This year for the first time farmers showed some fight. * * * — w. r. t. NO' 

 efforts have been mafle to overcome its injuries that have availed any tiling; plowing 

 them under and dragging logs, etc., is all that ha< so far been done. Your reports, on 

 inquiry for them, I find have never been distributed at all among the farmers, and, iik 

 fact, I cannot find a copy in the county. — g. b. ii. The heat was so intense for several" 

 days during the middle of .August, that by pulverizing the ground to fine dust and then 

 shaking them from the corn into it, they would ro;ist in half a minute. We are con- 

 vinced that not more than half a dozen farmers in tliis county ever received a copy of 

 the Agricultural Report for 1869; in all probability it was more freely distributed 

 among lawyers, merchants and doctors, than farmers. We applied lor a copy but 

 never received one. — a. h. 



4 — Ttiere was more wheat sowed this year than ever before in my circle of 

 acquaintance, and wiiile sotne raised a little wheat many nevi^r raised a bushel; if the 

 countj' raised tlie seed it is all it has done. Oats were nearly destroyed. * * * The 

 corn crop will not average more than five or six bushels per acre, and as I am not 

 posted with regard to the number of acres in cultivation in Bates county, I am unable 

 to make anytliing of a correct estimate, but the damage would be fearful. — w. r. t. 

 The damage by this insect in our county this year is impossible to state as we have 

 almost a total failure, and the whole ot it is due to Chinch Bug; notliing escaped it in 

 the shape of grain or grass. * * * — G. b. h. We estimate the damage done by this 

 insect alone in this county at not far from one million dollars. — a. h. 



Benton County. 

 3 — No efforts made. Your Second Report is not known here. — j. a. ii. No syste- 

 matic efforts have been made against them. A little desultory plowing of furrows is all 

 that has been done. I have never heard of a copy of your Second Report in the county'. 

 1 desire a copy. — j h. l. There are no systematic efforts being made to overcome its. 

 injuries. I do not think your Second Report is very generally known or distributed 

 among the farmers of Benton county. — w. F. j. No systematic efforts have been made. 

 Don't know anything about your Second Report. — j. u. m. 



