PREVENTIVES AND EEMEDIEB. 157 



the soil. Mr. Tallant reports to the British Farmers' 

 Magazine, that he has freed his fields entirely from 

 wire-worms by this means. 



The chinch bug is only to be headed off by active 

 and vigorous measures. The following plan is re- 

 ported to the Prairie Farmer, by H. B. Norton, of 

 Ogle County, 111. : " If any Western rustics are ver- 

 dant enough to suppose that chinch bugs cannot be 

 outflanked, headed off, and conquered, they are en- 

 tirely behind the times. The thing has been effect- 

 ually done during the past season, by Mr. Davis, 

 supervisor of the town of Scott, Ogle County, 111. 

 This gentleman had a cornfield of a hundred acres, 

 growing alongside of extensive fields of small grain. 

 The bugs had finished up the latter and were pre- 

 paring to attack the former, when the owner, being 

 of an ingenious turn, hit upon a happy plan for cir- 

 cumventing them. He surrounded the corn with a 

 barrier of pine boards, set up edgewise and partly 

 buried in the ground, to keep them in position. Out- 

 side of this fence deep holes were dug about ten feet 

 apart. The upper edge of the board was kept con- 

 stantly moist with a coat of coal tar, which was re- 

 newed every day. 



" The bugs, according to their regular tactics, ad- 

 vanced to the assault in solid columns, swarming by 

 millions and hiding the ground. They easily ascended 

 the board, but were unable to cross the belt of coal 

 tar. Sometimes they crowded upon one another, so 

 as to bridge over the barrier, but such places were 

 immediately covered with a new coating. The sue- 



