Il6 FIELD ZOOLOGY. 



disease, and mentioned the fact that the weather was wet, 

 cloudy, and cool. Forbes' investigations began in 1892. 

 He proceeded on the theory of bacterial disease. He 

 found that bacteria completely destroy the secreting 

 glands of the tissue lining the delicate intestinal tract of 

 the chinch bug. This leaves the intestinal tract filled 

 with a mass of the bacteria together with a small inter- 

 mixture of fat globules and a little detritus of nonde- 

 script sort. It is a well-known fact that moulds are 

 saprophytes ; that is, they grow on decaying matter. And 

 here is the agency furnishing the exact condition favor- 

 able to the growth of the mould plants — this decaying 

 intestinal matter. It remained for Snow of Kansas to 

 make the practical application of the early knowledge 

 along these lines. In a report made to the State Board of 

 Agriculture, in 1887, he urged this theory of chinch bug 

 disease and its significance to the crop-growers. In 1889, 

 the first trial was made. There was much to learn about 

 it ; such as the fact that these bacteria flourish best in cool, 

 wet weather, and that the fungous disease produced by 

 the two moulds is a secondary enemy, and must be pre- 

 ceded by the bacteria. Hence clouds and rain, bacteria 

 and moulds must work in conjunction, or the slaughter 

 of chinch bugs will not be effective. 



The insidious flower bug, mentioned as one of the 

 enemies of the chinch bug, is also valuable from its habit 

 of preying on other harmful insects. It was formerly 

 called the false chinch bug, was often found associated with 

 it, and looks considerably like it as to colors and markings, 

 but has a much broader body from the head backward. 

 Instead of assisting the chinch bug to pump the sap out 

 of plants it turns the tables and destroys many of these 

 pests.' 



