CHINCH-BUGS 121 



hardly done anything except clean my fields. I 

 found the bugs all right, and I have a notion that the 

 ' bugf eller ' at that meeting knew what he was talking 

 about. He said that when the warm weather came 

 along these bugs would fly away and hunt growing 

 grasses, oats, wheat, and such for food. When 

 they have found it and have settled down they lay 

 eggs which hatch into the little reddish, young bugs 

 that have no wings. Well, he said that they did much 

 less damage in wet seasons ; I have noticed that my- 

 self, and now, ahem ! if we should have rainy spells 

 I reckon I have done all the cleaning for nothing." 



"Very likely not/' said Mr. Sprague, "because 

 there are other bad insects passing the winter in 

 the same way. Then again, it is like insurance ; 

 you never know when your buildings may burn down, 

 but you pay for the insurance just the same. If 

 we only knew beforehand what the weather would 

 be, then we could plan everything just right, couldn't 

 we?" 



"Yes, of course/' Mr. Blakeley agreed, but 

 continued, "that ( bugf eller' said that three dif- 

 ferent things could be done. One was the destruc- 

 tion of the winter quarters by cleaning, burning, 

 plowing, and the like. Well, I did that, but the 

 second thing he spoke about was burying. I don't 

 see how that could be done. Bury all the bugs? 

 Piffle!" 



