﻿383 
  

  

  of 
  affected 
  inflorescences 
  were 
  small, 
  whitish 
  and 
  shrivelled. 
  Counts 
  

   of 
  the 
  shrivelled 
  spikelets 
  on 
  each 
  inflorescence 
  on 
  different 
  experi- 
  

   mental 
  plots 
  gave 
  an 
  average 
  of 
  17-3 
  per 
  cent, 
  to 
  36-3 
  per 
  cent.; 
  the 
  

   average 
  percentage 
  differed 
  with 
  the 
  variety 
  of 
  oats 
  in 
  question, 
  the 
  

   variety 
  known 
  as 
  " 
  Abundance, 
  Garton's 
  Regenerated 
  " 
  being 
  least 
  

   affected, 
  while 
  that 
  known 
  as 
  " 
  Banner 
  M 
  " 
  suffered 
  the 
  greatest 
  

   injury. 
  The 
  damage 
  is 
  chiefly 
  confined 
  to 
  the 
  inflorescence, 
  and 
  

   usually 
  to 
  the 
  lower 
  part 
  of 
  it, 
  though 
  not 
  invariably 
  ; 
  the 
  white 
  

   shrivelled 
  spikelets 
  are 
  quite 
  conspicuous 
  in 
  comparison 
  with 
  the 
  

   normal 
  green 
  healthy 
  spikelets. 
  

  

  The 
  hfe-history 
  of 
  A. 
  striatus 
  is 
  briefly 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  The 
  females 
  

   deposit 
  their 
  eggs 
  on 
  the 
  leaves 
  of 
  cereals 
  or 
  grasses, 
  and 
  the 
  young 
  

   larvae 
  develop 
  in 
  the 
  autumn 
  until 
  the 
  snow 
  covers 
  the 
  ground, 
  but 
  

   only 
  the 
  adults 
  appear 
  to 
  survive 
  the 
  winter. 
  These 
  are 
  able 
  to 
  

   withstand 
  temperatures 
  as 
  low 
  as 
  —53° 
  F. 
  (Saskatchewan). 
  The 
  

   females 
  begin 
  ovipositing 
  early 
  in 
  the 
  spring, 
  each 
  laying 
  from 
  50-60 
  

   eggs 
  ; 
  incubation 
  takes 
  from 
  10-15 
  days 
  in 
  spring 
  ; 
  in 
  the 
  summer 
  

   from 
  4-7 
  days. 
  The 
  larval 
  stage 
  lasts 
  from 
  2 
  weeks 
  in 
  early 
  spring, 
  

   but 
  only 
  a 
  few 
  days 
  in 
  summer. 
  The 
  winged 
  adults 
  appear 
  in 
  May 
  

   or 
  June. 
  The 
  whole 
  life-cycle 
  occupies 
  from 
  12-30 
  days. 
  

  

  As 
  A. 
  striatus 
  feeds 
  on 
  grasses 
  and 
  is 
  able 
  to 
  migrate 
  with 
  ease, 
  

   the 
  difficulties 
  of 
  control 
  are 
  considerable. 
  The 
  destruction 
  of 
  weeds, 
  

   especially 
  grasses, 
  is 
  essential. 
  The 
  hibernation 
  period 
  would 
  appear 
  

   to 
  afford 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  best 
  opportunities 
  for 
  employing 
  control 
  measures, 
  

   especially 
  of 
  a 
  cultural 
  nature, 
  such 
  as 
  deep 
  ploughing. 
  An 
  alternative 
  

   or 
  additional 
  measure 
  would 
  be 
  burning 
  the 
  stubble 
  of 
  an 
  infested 
  

   crop. 
  Trap 
  crops 
  of 
  rye 
  or 
  oats 
  that 
  would 
  ripen 
  earher 
  than 
  the 
  

   main 
  crop, 
  and 
  which 
  could 
  be 
  removed 
  and 
  destroyed, 
  have 
  been 
  

   recommended. 
  

  

  McCoLLocH 
  (J. 
  W.) 
  & 
  YuASA 
  (H.). 
  A 
  Parasite 
  of 
  the 
  Chinch 
  Bug 
  Egg. 
  

   — 
  Jl. 
  Econ. 
  Entom., 
  Concord, 
  vii, 
  no. 
  2, 
  April 
  1914, 
  pp. 
  219-227. 
  

  

  A 
  two-fold 
  interest 
  is 
  attached 
  to 
  the 
  discovery 
  of 
  an 
  egg-parasite 
  

   of 
  the 
  chinch 
  bug 
  {Blissus 
  leucoptera) 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  seriousness 
  of 
  

   this 
  insect 
  as 
  a 
  pest, 
  and 
  because 
  it 
  has 
  stood 
  alone 
  among 
  staple 
  crop 
  

   insects 
  in 
  having 
  no 
  known 
  egg-parasite. 
  The 
  Chalcid 
  was 
  discovered 
  

   in 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  experiments 
  on 
  the 
  chinch 
  bug, 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  Kansas 
  

   Agricultural 
  College, 
  and 
  proved 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  new 
  genus 
  and 
  species 
  ; 
  it 
  

   has 
  been 
  called 
  Eumicrosoma 
  benefica, 
  Gahan. 
  

  

  The 
  chinch 
  bug 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  all 
  parts 
  of 
  Kansas 
  except 
  the 
  extreme 
  

   west. 
  The 
  adults 
  emerge 
  from 
  hibernation 
  during 
  the 
  first 
  weeks 
  of 
  

   April, 
  and 
  the 
  eggs 
  are 
  found 
  from 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  April 
  to 
  the 
  beginning 
  

   of 
  July. 
  The 
  first 
  brood 
  reaches 
  maturity 
  during 
  the 
  early 
  part 
  

   of 
  July, 
  and 
  the 
  eggs 
  of 
  this 
  brood 
  are 
  found 
  from 
  the 
  middle 
  

   of 
  this 
  month 
  until 
  October. 
  The 
  second 
  brood 
  reaches 
  maturity 
  from 
  

   the 
  end 
  of 
  August 
  until 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  September. 
  These 
  adults 
  

   migrate 
  to 
  grass-lands, 
  where 
  they 
  hibernate. 
  The 
  period 
  of 
  ovi- 
  

   position 
  thus 
  lasts 
  through 
  the 
  entire 
  summer, 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  

   of 
  a 
  week 
  or 
  two 
  in 
  July. 
  

  

  The 
  eggs 
  of 
  Eumicrosoma 
  benefica 
  have 
  never 
  been 
  observed 
  in 
  the 
  

   eggs 
  of 
  the 
  host, 
  and 
  the 
  exact 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  incubation 
  period 
  has 
  not 
  

   been 
  determined. 
  The 
  young 
  larva 
  has 
  been 
  found 
  shortly 
  after 
  it 
  

  

  