CHINCH BUG WEST OF MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 45 



secured some Sporotrichum from outside sources and introduced it 

 into their fields. These attempts were made independently and, as 

 far as could be learned, no satisfactory results followed. 



In the neighboring counties of Harper and Cowley, Kans., and 

 Kay County, Okla., farmers united in spreading the fungus over their 

 fields, after having grown plenty of it in boxes on their farms. This 

 experiment was tried very thoroughly and on a very large scale in 

 Cowley County, Kans., where the farmers secured the fungus from 

 boxes of chinch bugs at two central stations, and after having grown 

 more of the fungus in boxes on their own farms spread the whole 

 over their fields where the bugs were thickest. The distributing 

 points were Arkansas City and Winfield, Kans., and about 700 farmers 

 secured fungus from the two boxes at these points. This was done 

 in early June, and was followed by rainy weather just after the fun- 

 gus was placed in the fields. The precipitation record at Wellington 

 showed an aggregate rainfall of 0.82 inch on June 6, 7, 8, 10, and 11. 

 When Cowley County was visited on June 21 it had been dry for a 

 week preceding. The central distributing points were visited, and it 

 was learned that a large quantity of Sporotrichum globuliferum had 

 been distributed from these boxes. No satisfactory results were 

 reported to the central station. Many of the farmers were inter- 

 viewed, and in almost every instance the lack of success was attrib- 

 uted to the dry weather, which prevailed between June 12 and 21. 

 In some localities every farmer had used some of the fungus. Upon 

 visiting the exact spots where the fungus had been placed in the 

 fields many bugs were found covered with white fungus; however, 

 the fungus was as easily located in places remote from any artificial 

 importation. The fungus was always put out in places where the 

 chinch bugs were massed together. In consequence of this massing 

 more fungus would normally occur in these places than elsewhere, 

 regardless of the source of infection. The damage caused by the 

 chinch bugs was fully as great where the fungus was introduced as it 

 was in places remote from these, and also fully as great in this locality 

 as it was in Sumner County, where no fungus had been introduced. 



The parties who carried on this experiment were so united in their 

 work, and extended it over such a wide area, that it constitutes one 

 of the most satisfactory field experiments ever carried out with this 

 fungus. From the results obtained we arrive a step nearer the actual 

 position this method should occupy. There can be hardly a doubt 

 that Sporotrichum was present before the experiment was tried, and 

 that, too, in sufficient quantity to inoculate the healthy bugs. Since 

 this failed to hold the bugs in check, no artificial introduction could 

 accomplish what nature failed in doing. 



Sporotrichum has appeared during the past three years in this 

 part of the Southwest, and has not been effective as a natural enemy, 



