and avail themselves of its useful qualities. It is to their advantage, 

 indeed, that it should increase at the highest rate and prevail in the 

 largest numbers possible : while man alone would destroy it utterly as 

 never useful to him and always injurious whenever it becomes abun- 

 dant. To this end four things are necessary: a knowledge of the 

 habits, haunts, and life history of the chinch-bug such as will enable us 

 to see when, where, and how it can be attacked most effectively; a 

 knowledge of the best methods and materials for the operation against 

 it ; prompt and determined action at the critical time by the individual 

 farmer whose interests are threatened ; and cooperative arrangements 

 and agreements which shall bring to bear upon the undertaking the 

 joint effort of all in the common interest. 



It is well and widely known that there are two periods in the year 

 when the chinch-bug may be successfully attacked, under favorable 

 conditions. These are the winter season, when it is in hibernation 

 among dead grasses and under the shelter of leaves and other rubbish 

 on the ground: and the time of wheat harvest, when it must escape 

 from the deadened wheat fields on foot to find fresh food in other 

 crops. 



Burning out in Winter 



In the dry climate of the ''western plains'' the dead bunch-grasses 

 and other winter harborage of the chinch-bug can commonly be burned 

 in winter close enough to the ground to destroy the greater part of 

 the insects in their winter quarters ; and marked success has been had 

 with this method, especially in Kansas, where it has lately become a 

 principal reliance in chinch-bug campaigns. Occasionally in Illinois 

 the weather is dry enough to make this method feasible ; and in the 

 hope that the winter of 1911-12 might prove to be one of this character. 

 I issued in November. 1911. a circular of information, warning, and 

 advice with a view to a general clearing up and burning over of the 

 winter shelters of the chinch-bug in a way and at a time to destroy 

 the insects themselves. Considerable preparations were made to this 

 end by farmers in several localities; but the character of the winter 

 weather was such that very little could be done ; and the same was true 

 of the three later winters during which the chinch-bug was present in 

 extraordinary numbers. The dead grass and the rubbish on the 

 ground were but rarely dry enough to burn to the deeper layers where 

 the chinch-bugs were wintering : and then only locally and for a very- 

 short time. Furthermore, in the climate of central and southern 

 Illinois the stems of the more abundant kind of bunch-grass (A)idro- 

 pogon virginicum). the favorite wintering place of the chinch-bug. 

 remain green at their bases for an inch or two above the ground, and 

 heiice can rarely be burned far enough down to destroy the insects 

 nestled away among them. (Figs. 1, 2. 3.) 



The burning method was however tested practically by my field 



