12 IOWA AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE. 



disliked are between the fields, see to it that a strip of at least three or four 

 yards next to the corn is plowed and finely pulverized. Then as soon as 

 bugs begin to travel mark this with several parallel furrows and pulverize 

 the sides of these furrows thoroughly by dragging a heavy block or log 

 along them. The bugs cannot crawl up the sides as long as the earth rolls 

 back with them, and vast numbers will starve to death along such an 

 obstruction. Spread straw along side of these furrows toward evening, 

 and the bugs will go under it for the night, then set fire to it in the morning 

 before the bugs start to travel again. Similar precautions can be used in 

 connection with strips planted to potatoes, etc. At this time too the 

 stubble, if it has not been plowed under, is probably dry enough to burn, if 

 a little care is taken to carry the fire over thin spots, and if burned in 

 hottest part of the afternoon hosts of bugs will be burned. While the 

 older ones have already left, close examination will probably show hosts of 

 small ones on the move. If the bugs reach the corn and begin to accumu- 

 late there, procure a few gallons of cheap kerosene and a few pounds of 

 cheap bar soap. A hand force pump is almost essential, though the 

 sprinkling can be done more slowly with a watering pot. The best nozzle I 

 know of for the purpose is the cyclone nozzle, recommended by Professor 

 Riley. 



Heat a quantity of water (half as many gallons as you intend to use of 

 kerosene) and dissolve in it half a pound of soap to each gallon. Add this 

 boiling hot to the kerosene (one gallon of suds to two gallons of kerosene) 

 and churn violently together from ten to fifteen minutes, or until it forms 

 an emulsion. It will then appear thick and creamy, and will not separate 

 on standing or cooling. The churning is best done by forcing the fluid 

 through the force pump, driving it through a short hose without the spray 

 nozzle back into the vessel from which it is drawn. Having prepared this 

 emulsion it may be mixed at pleasure with pure water, or water with a 

 little soap in it, using nine gallons of water to one gallon of the emulsion. 

 This gives thirty gallons of mixture for every two gallons of kerosene. It 

 may be diluted still further if desired, but should not at the farthest be 

 diluted so as to use more than fourteen or fifteen gallons of water to each 

 gallon of emulsion. The mixture in barrels may be drawn in a wagon 

 along side the rows of corn, and the bugs sprayed by directing the nozzle 

 upon the stalks where they are massed. To reach rows beyond the first 

 two-or three it will be necessary to have a long hose and one man to manip- 

 ulate the nozzle, passing among the hills for as many rows as convenient, 

 while another works the force pump and manages the team. This method 

 is applicable where the bugs are massed on a few rows of corn next to 

 wheat and may prevent serious damage to the bulk of the field, 



Fifth. When corn fields are infested throughout and liable to be 

 seriously damaged, a plan already very generally adopted is to cut it up for 

 fodder. 



Sixth. And lastly, after the season's crops are attended to, every effort 

 should be made to reduce the number for the next year. The rubbish in 

 fence corners, the dry grass, leaves, etc., may be raked into heaps from 

 places not accessible to fire. These will form excellent attraction for the 

 bugs when secreting themselves for their Winter hibernation, and then on 

 some dry day in late Eall or early Winter, or in early Spring, the whole 

 mass may be burned. At the same time, all ground covered with grass, 

 leaves, etc., should be burned over as thoroughly as possible. There is an 



