10 IOWA AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE. 



REMEDIAL, AND PREVENTIVE MEASURES. 



Professor Forbes, State Entomologist of Illinois, in a recent Bulletin 

 makes the following pertinent remarks concerning the general neglect of 

 applying remedies for this pest: 



"There is a general but mischievous impression among the farmers of 

 this State, especially to the southward, that it is useless to contend against 

 the Chinch Bug, and that its visitations must be received, like those of the 

 drought and the tornado, as evils beyond our power to prevent or remedy, 

 A careful study of the literature of the subject, several years' observation 

 in the field, and some experiments, have convinced me that this belief 

 often doubles, at least, the calamity of the outbreak, by discouraging at 

 the outset any except sporadic and individual measures of defense. This 

 discouragement is, of course, not without its reasons. Commonest, I 

 think, are the following: 



u l. In this, as in many other cases of insect injury, the number of 

 unreasonable and even preposterous recommendations that have been 

 made have tended to discredit the whole subject of remedial measures. 



"2. Few are aware of the very considerable number of valuable reme- 

 dies which have been carefully tried, here and there, with decisive or highly 

 encouraging results. 



"3. Failures of measures not intelligently or thoroughly applied, or 

 applied under exceptional circumstances, have often led to the conclusion 

 that there was no value in them under any circumstances whatever. 



"4. Partial or complete failure of the isolated efforts of individuals has 

 sometimes illegitimately discouraged combined action by the farmers of a 

 neighborhood. 



"5. The use of proper measures in the beginning of an outbreak has 

 been prevented by the failure, elsewhere or previously, of the same 

 measures when the Chinch Bug had already overwhelmed the country. 

 The best of remedies will fail when the patient is already in the article of 

 death. 



"6. Failure to accomplish everything has sometimes caused abandon- 

 ment of measures which nevertheless do accomplish much. 



"7. Many reasonable and promising remedies lack the endorsement of 

 accurate experiment, and so fail to command the confidence of the practical 

 farmer. 



"8. The disposition to speculate on the weather is very common. A 

 hope that heavy rains may intervene to destroy the bugs often prevents 

 action which it is thought may be rendered unnecessary by the turn of 

 events." 



Much of this applies with equal force in our own State, but I believe 

 that the majority of our progressive farmers will chose to adopt the best 

 measures known in the way of prevention rather than run the risk of 

 another Chinch Bug scourge in 1888. At present writing Chinch Biigs are 

 apparently in best of condition for wintering, and while it is of course 

 possible that next Spring may be a wet one, it would be folly to depend 

 upon such being the case. The question then arises, what can be done to 

 lessen the danger the coming season? I 'will attempt to give briefly, and 

 without referring here to supporting evidence, the measures which I 

 believe should be adopted in every neighborhood where the Chinch Bug has 

 tteen present during the past season. 



