93 



Williamson — Chinch bugs are all over the county ; more numerous than ever before. Killed a 

 good deal of corn when they first went into it, at harvest, and the second brood is now hatching 

 on corn. 



Winnebago— We have the chinch bug in great numbers; first in barley, now in corn and oats. 



Woodford— Find a good many in edges of corn fields, and the weather being so very dry, they 

 will probably injure the crop considerably. 



A few here in rye, from which they went to the corn, but not in sufficient numbers to do dam- 

 age worthy of notice. 



Other correspondents from the counties above mentioned re- 

 ported no chinch bugs apparent in their vicinities, as follows: 



From Adams county, 1; Cook, 1; Douglas, 2; Edgar, 1; Ford, 1; Kankakee, 1; Kendall, 1; 

 Knox, 2: Lee, 1; Peoria. 1; Rock Island, 1; Sangamon, 1; Stark, 1; Will, 1. 



Those from the following additional counties report no damage 

 in their vicinities: 



Bureau, Calhoun, Cass, DeWitt, Iroquois, Livingston, Macon, McHenry, McLean, Mason, Ogle, 

 Putnam, and Warren. 



One from Bureau county says: "There has been very little wheat sown here for many years 

 past, and farmers think that this accounts for the absence of the chinch bugs." 



Mr. Dougherty, of Otterville, Jersey county, writes that the bugs in his neighborhood are not 

 numerous enough to do serious injury; and that he practices burning stubble to destroy them as 

 much as possible. 



Mr. Seeley writes from Oswego, Kendall county, that he has been told by some of the neigh- 

 bors that a very few chinch bugs havf been seen. Has been but little wheat or barley raised there 

 for some time until the last two or three years. Is afraid that if this is continued the chinch bugs 

 will return. 



Mr. Samuel Frost, of Macomb, McDonough county, says: "We have no chinch bugs in our 

 county. There is very little spring wheat raised here, which may account for their absence." 



Mr. Wm. M. Duffee, San Jose, Mason county, says: "There are no chinch bugs in our fields 

 in this county. We have had none here since we quit raising spring wheat." 



Mr. J. H, Anthony writes from West Jersey, Stark county: "Little or no damage done in 

 southwestern Stark. Very little spring wheat or rye raised in this county for several years, conse- 

 quently the chinch bugs are somewhat held in check." 



LIFE HISTORY. 



The life history of this insect has been often rehearsed, but will 

 still bear brief repetition. 



The chinch bug passes the winter in the adult, winged state (a 

 few black wingless individuals occasionally occurring), under rub- 

 bish or around the fields, in corn shocks and straw piles, under 

 boards and among dead leaves in the woods, most abundant, usually, 

 around the edges of fields and in thickets and the borders of 

 woods. From these lurking places, such as survive the winter 

 emerge in April and May (possibly sooner, if the season opens 

 early), and, after pairing, lay their eggs in May and June in fields 

 of spring and winter wheat, barley, r^^e, oats, and corn — chiefly in 

 wheat and barley, — most of the eggs being deposited in or near 

 the ground on the lower parts of the plants. Many of those 

 hibernating around fields sown to wheat and barley make their 

 way in on foot, thus attacking the outer edges first; but others 

 take wing and scatter freely wherever suitable food invites them. 

 Rarely these winged, hibernating individuals will concentrate in a 

 field of grain in numbers sufficient to damage the young plants at 

 once, even before the eggs are laid; but commonly no marked in- 

 jury appears until the young of the succeediag generation begin 

 to feed. 



