CHINA SEA 



1355 



CHINCH BUG 



gasoline, and some that employ charcoal, the 

 latter needing, however, to be fired out-of-doors 

 on account of the fumes. A kiln the size of 

 the one illustrated, which is about four and 

 one-half feet in height, requires from one and 

 a half to two hours to fire and consumes two 

 gallons of oil. 



The kiln is connected with the house chim- 

 ney by means of an asbestos-lined stove-pipe. 

 From the tank at the side the oil is fed me- 

 chanically into the burner the small pan 

 shown directly below the fire box; the larger 

 pan underneath contains sand which absorbs 

 any overflow. By means of a match applied 

 directly to a small wad of asbestos placed in 

 the burner, the kiln is lighted, and through an 

 opening in the bottom of the fire box the heat 

 is communicated to the lining tubes. Through 

 these tubes the flames are drawn upward until 

 they completely surround the interior of the 

 kiln. 



Regulating drafts in the burner make it 

 possible to fire to the desired heat in any part 

 of the kiln a great advantage by reason of 

 the fact that different kinds of paints and dif- 

 ferent grades of china require varying treat- 

 ment. The china 

 is stacked in the 

 kiln with due re- 

 gard to these con- 



siderations. In Vl :m 

 stacking the 

 pieces, stilts of 

 fire-clay are placed between to keep them sepa- 

 rate, and care is taken not to pack them too 

 close, so that there may be sufficient room 

 for expansion. 



The Firing Process. In the door of the kiln 

 is a mica-covered "peep-hole" permitting the 

 firer to watch the progress of the glazing and 

 stop the firing at the proper time. When the 

 china takes on a translucent appearance and 

 begins to turn an ashy-red tint, it is time to 

 stop the flow of oil and let the kiln begin to 

 cool. Several hours must elapse before it is 

 opened, however, lest the current of cold air 

 admitted cause the china to break or "crackle." 

 The china must never be removed until it has 

 thoroughly cooled. L.M.B. 



CHINA SEA, or SOUTH CHINA SEA, the 

 largest of the enclosed seas lying along the 

 east coast of Asia. These seas are formed by 

 the long chain of islands in the Pacific Ocean 

 extending from Kamchatka to the end of the 

 Malay Peninsula. Formosa Strait connects it 

 with the Eastern Sea on the north. The gulfs 



STILTS 



of Tonking and Siam are extensions of the 

 China Sea on the west, and Manila Bay on 

 the east. In the southern part this sea is 

 very shallow, its average depth being less than 

 1,000 feet; farther north, however, it is 13,000 

 feet deep off the Philippine island of Luzon. 

 As it is situated entirely within the tropics, vio- 

 lent typhoons sweep over it at certain seasons 

 of the year and make navigation very danger- 

 ous (see TYPHOON). The Mekong and the 

 Menam are two large rivers emptying into it. 

 The great ports of Canton, Hong-kong, Saigon, 

 Bangkok, Singapore and Manila all lie either 

 directly on this sea or are near it. (See map 

 of ASIA.) 



CHINCH BUG, a small, blackish bug with 

 white wings, found all over the United States 

 and in Canada, Central America and the West 

 Indies. It is the worst insect pest known to 

 the wheat grower. In the United States alone 

 the damage done by 

 this bug each year is 

 placed at $20,000,000. 

 The adult insect, 

 which is about one- 

 sixth of an inch in 

 length, spends the 

 winter in old grass 

 and rubbish. In the 

 early spring each fe- 

 male lays about 500 

 eggs on the roots and 

 stems of grain, and 

 soon the newly- 

 hatched insects, red in CHINCH BUG 

 color, may be found About nine times actual 

 in countless numbers, 



feeding on grains and grasses, particularly 

 wheat. Corn is usually attacked later in the 

 season. There are two generations each year, 

 the second appearing in late July or early 

 August. The broods keep together at first, 

 moving on in great masses as the food is ex- 

 hausted, and scattering when the insects reach 

 maturity. In dry seasons they multiply at 

 an appalling rate, but their numbers are kept 

 down by cold springs and severe winters. 



An effective method of protecting an unin- 

 fected field is to plow a deep furrow around the 

 field, filling it with coal tar or petroleum to 

 keep the pests out. The burning of waste 

 grass and rubbish near the fields, in the fall, 

 where the bugs are apt to hide through the 

 winter, is also helpful. Other methods that 

 have been tried with moderate success are the 

 introduction of their natural enemy, the lady- 



