83 



native insect there. Kept down in former times by prairie fires. 

 Anticipate increase until abandonment of wheat culture for a term 

 of years becomes necessary. Two-brooded in Northern Illinois, 

 but possibly three, or even four, broods farther south. Calculate 

 that two thousand chinch bugs, hibernating successfully, may give 

 origin to two thousand millions the following year. Authors be- 

 lieve that flights are due to scarcity of food, and mention observa- 

 tions opposed to theory that they are taken for pairing purposes. 

 Advise plowing wheat land in fall and rolling repeatedly after 

 seeding in spring, to prevent access of female to roots. First 

 damage, and greatest, on dry land. Mention and figure of short- 

 winged Canada form. Authors ridicule Dr. Shimer's theory of an 

 epidemic disease, and attribute destruction to immediate effect of 

 wet weather. Estimate damage by chinch bug in Illinois in 1864 

 at over seventy-three millions of (lollars. Under head of remedies, 

 discuss burning of winter shelter, scattering straw upon infested 

 wheat and burning in spring, burning injured wheat at harvest, 

 mixing spring wheat and winter rye, arresting movement by 

 coal-tar barriers, and the application of gas lime to infested 

 fields. Under "Kecapitulation," four points are mentioned as 

 important and well established: (1) Chinch bugs hibernate as 

 adults in rubbish, old straw, corn stalks, under dead leaves, among 

 weeds in fence corners, etc., therefore such substances should be 

 burned in spring. (2) The earlier in spring small grain is 

 sowed the more likely it will be to escape the chinch bug. (3) 

 The harder the ground where grain is sowed, the less chance for 

 chinch bug to penetrate to the roots for deposition of eggs, hence 

 the importance of fall plowing, and rolling. (4) A single heavy 

 rain immediately checks propagation of chinch bugs; continued 

 heavy rains diminish their numbers materially; and a long-con- 

 tinued wet season barely leaves enough for seed another year. 

 The insect is never ruinously destructive except in sections where 

 there is continued hot dry weather. 



; A. A. — ivain as an Insect Destroyer. (Prairie Farmer, July 3, 1869.) 



"Writing from Boone Co., correspondent says that in July, 1886, 

 the chinch bugs, while migrating from one field to another, were 

 destroyed by a long cold rain, and he has heard of no damage by 

 them there since. 



American Entomologist, Nov., 1869, v. 2, p. 51. Entomological 

 Jottings. Chinch iBugs. 



From St. Clair Co., June 5, 1869, Col. Fred. Hecker writes that 

 . heavy rains from the 30th of May to the 4th of June "op- 

 • erated splendidly" upon the chinch bugs. A few days before the 

 ■ rains all the wheat roots, when examined, seemed alive with the 



bugs. Refers to loss of three acres of corn in 1868 "in spite of 



plowing and ditching." 



8. E.— A 3 



