32 
day, taking with him more than a bushel of these wheat plants with 
the parasitized Toxoptera thereon and on the 11th this material was 
put out in a field near Wellington where the Toxoptera was the most 
plentiful, in order to determine if it was possible to increase the 
limited numbers of parasites at the time observable in the fields so 
as to expedite the work of the latter in overcoming the pest. This 
was the first artificial introduction of Aphidius into Kansas, six 
days after which Prof. S. J. Hunter began distributing parasites. 
The following day a second lot of material sent from Kingfisher by 
the junior author, some of it carrying as many as 100 parasitized 
Toxoptera to a single blade of wheat, was distributed in a wheat 
field, also near Wellington, by Mr. Ainslie, some of it being placed 
in bunches to protect it from the weather and the remainder scattered 
over the ground among the growing wheat. The Aphidius already 
observed in the fields on the 11th appeared to be on the increase, as 
many as 11 parasitized individuals being observed on a single growing 
leaf, though but few of the adult parasites were observed abroad in 
the fields. On April 18 parasites were sent to McPherson and on 
May 18 to Manhattan, Aphidius being present in the fields at the time 
of introduction. These introductions will be taken up in detail 
farther on in this bulletin. 
On April 12 a letter was received from Mr. J. A. Akers, at Hooker, 
Beaver County, Okla., stating that the ' 'green bug" was destroying 
his wheat. The junior author, being notified of the outbreak, pro- 
ceeded there, arriving on April 24, and found that Mr. Akers's field 
was the only one in that locality that had been injured, and, in fact, 
it was outside the zone of destructive infestation in this State. This 
field comprised 52 acres, over a portion of which oats had been sown 
the previous year, while cowpeas had been grown upon another and 
much smaller part. Volunteer oats were plentiful over the first 
mentioned area. One of the infested spots was located among the 
wheat and volunteer oats, while the second spot was in the area pre- 
viously devoted to cowpeas. There were no other injured spots in 
the whole field, although an occasional Toxoptera could be found 
here and there over the field, which was also true of other fields in 
this vicinity. It is a significant fact that young plants of Agropyron 
occidentale Scrib. were found growing in both of these spots and they 
were as badly infested as the wheat plants. A few parasitized 
Toxoptera were found, but the parasites were apparently developing 
slowly on account of cold weather. 
The junior author went to Indiana the latter part of the first week 
in May, but was recalled to Kansas and reached Manhattan on thel8th, 
where he was met by the senior author, and a final experiment for the 
artificial introduction of parasites was here planned and begun at 
this time, the results of which are given farther on in the proper place. 
