﻿70 SEVENTH ANNUAL REPORT 



Shelby County. 



The crops sufferiiiof most are wheat and corn. * ■■ * I have noticed when the 

 wheat covers well theg:roiuid (which it may be made to do by thorough manuring) in 

 the Spring, so as to almost exclude the rays of the sun, the chinch bugs do not gather 

 to raise their young there, but seek more open grain. If oats are sowed early and thick, 

 and make a strong, vigorous growth, I have never known the Chinch Bug to hurt 

 them, but if they are thin on the ground, admitting the rays of the sun freely, then 

 oats are a tine crop to raise chinch bugs in. * * *. — j. b. r. 



3— No systematic eflforts made. I have not been able to hear of the first copy of 

 your Second Report. I suppose they were sent to the county seat and distributed 

 among those living near there. — j. b. r. 



4 — Cannot give you, with any great certainty, the damage our crops have sustained 

 from chinch bugs the i>ast year, but would suppose the damage to amount to about 

 one-flfth of the value of the crops thus affected.— j. b. r. 



Sullivan County. 



3 — Never saw your Second Keport, or saw any person who did see it. The best 

 thing, in my opinion, and it is simply my opinion, is to manure the points and other 

 poor places and burn up the trash around the field and in the fence corners early in the 

 Spring. They never injure a crop on rich land and growing thrifty, as they do on 

 poor land. You would certainly deserve the gratitude of the people of Missouri if you 

 could do anything to relieve them of this pest, or by studying its habits teach us to 

 exterminate them. * * * — s. b. 



4— Impossible to estimate.— s. b. 



Taney County. 



3 — None have been made. But very few copies of your reports have been distributed 

 — 20 copies periiaps. — j. j. b. There have been no efforts made to overcome its injuries. 

 Your Second Report has been distributed over the county by the State, but not to an 

 extent that one-tenth of the farmers might read it.— w. r. h. 



4 — I cannot make anything like a close estimate of the value of the produce 

 destroyed, though I should judge that it would amount to $20,000 to $30,000.— j. j. b. 

 * * * From careful calculations, I conclude that Taney county lost over $45,000 by 

 this insect in 1874. These calculations are based upon the census report of 1870 and 

 the assessor's report of 1874. These figures are enormous, and by some may be con- 

 sidered extravagant, but if any one will visit our county and see the state of afRurs — 

 starvation staring everybody in the face, stock dying, etc., etc., the effects of dry weather 

 and chinch bugs — they may be convinced. — w. r. h. 



Texas County. 



3 — Some have tried scalding on a few favorite plants ; it kills the bug and does not 

 hurt the plant. No other systematic efforts have been made. — R. s. s. 



4 — I cannot give an estimate of the damage done ; say one-half oats, corn and sor- 

 ghum. — R. s. s. 



Vernon County. 



3 — None whatever. Tiiink there are not more than two or three of the Reports 

 mentioned in the county. — j. a. p. 



4 — From all the information I have been able to gather in regard to the damage 

 done by this insect, I do not believe it would f;Ul far short of half a million dollars, all 

 crops considered ; anfl if we take into consideration the loss to farmers on account of 

 stock, another half million dollars might be added, as farmers were compelled to sell 

 their stock at a ^reat sacrifice for the want of feed to make them ready for market, or 

 l^ut them through the winter, all of which is chargeable to the Chinch Bug, for 



