18 THE WHITE-FUNGUS DISEASE IN KANSAS. 
there was a possibility that the proper conditions might not be 
secured in some of them for the fungus to develop, the uncer- 
tainty was eliminated by having a number of bottles from each 
locality. Sporotrichum appeared in most of the bottles (see PL I), 
though its occurrence in but one of a series was sufficient to establish 
the certainty of its presence in the locality from which the collection 
had come. In some of the bottles no Sporotrichum developed. This 
was generally due to an excess of moisture which caused bugs to 
die before the Sporotrichum had time 'to make its presence manifest. 
The chinch bugs in the bottles generally showed remarkable 
powers of endurance, as they were without food yet in warm sur- 
roundings. Some were found still crawling more than two months 
after collection and long after observations were taken. Some con- 
tinued to live for this length of time with the Sporotrichum present 
and projecting conspicuously from dead bugs (see PL II) over which 
they frequently crawled. 
Thirty-two counties in the infested area of Kansas were definitely 
shown to contain the white-fungus disease among the chinch bugs 
before egress from their winter quarters, during the latter part of 
March. 
The first package of diseased bugs was sent out April 7 by the Kan- 
sas State Agricultural College at Manhattan. Five days later the 
University began its distribution of diseased bugs. It is therefore 
evident that Sporotrichum was present naturally in the localities 
examined and only needed the proper climatic conditions to break 
out spontaneously in the fields. 
Natural Presence or Sporotrichum in Wheat Fields and Corn- 
fields DURING THE SPRING AND SUMMER OF 1910. 
Spontaneous outbreaks. — The chinch bugs left their winter quar- 
ters the last week in March, but owing to the dryness and coolness of 
April, no diseased bugs were found in the fields until late in the 
month. In the meantime the collecting of bugs and testing for the 
presence of the fungus continued. Later, when fungus-covered bugs 
were present in the fields, they were considered as direct evidence of 
its natural distribution, provided artificial distribution had not been 
resorted to. 
Observations on the presence of Sporotrichum among chinch bugs 
in grain fields occupied the months of April, May, and June. During 
this time 27 additional counties were shown to contain the fungus. 
Summing up the work on the natural distribution of the fungus 
disease, it was found that 59 counties, which include most of the 
infested area of Kansas, showed evidence of its presence. Six coun- 
ties, four of which were on the western edge of chinch-bug distribu- 
