NATURAL PRESENCE DURING HIBERNATION. 17 
A spontaneous outbreak of the fungus in a field into which no 
fungus had been introduced would imply its natural presence there; 
and, conversely, its natural presence there would imply that a 
spontaneous outbreak would be possible, if given proper conditions. 
Hence it was determined to visit representative counties distributed 
through the infested area, and by examination of fields taken at 
random ascertain to what extent Sporotrichum is present in Kansas 
soil. 
Natural Presence or Sporotrichum among Chinch Bugs during 
Hibernation. 
As conditions for the development of the chinch-bug disease were 
not favorable while the bugs were in hibernation, partly because of 
the cold or cool dry weather that prevailed and partly because of the 
resistant state of the insects, it was necessary to collect them and 
bring them into warm, moist surroundings, where^ with increased 
activity, without food, their vitality would be diminished sufficiently 
for them to succumb to the attack of the disease. 
The type of collecting jar adopted was an 8-ounce square bottle 
with wide mouth and metal screw top lined with cork. This was 
light in weight and packed well in a carrying case. Before taking a 
lot of bottles from the laboratory they were thoroughly sterilized in 
an autoclave. The tops were left loose during sterilization and then 
screwed down tightly upon removal, while hot, from the sterilizer. 
After placing a number of bugs and a small quantity of earth in 
a bottle, by the use of sterilized tools, the lid was screwed down 
tightly and not removed until the bugs were dead, unless the soil in 
the bottle was too dry, in which case a little water was added, either 
from a near-by source in the field or else in the laboratory. If in the 
laboratory, precautions were taken against exposing the contents of 
the bottles to contamination. The tops were loosened and lifted on 
one side only, and then just enough to permit the entrance of a sterile 
pipette, filled with sterile water. By working expeditiously no more 
danger of contamination from the air resulted than in making trans- 
fers from one culture medium to another. 
The favorite places for hibernation on the part of the chinch bugs, 
apparently, were the stools of the prairie grass, Andropogon sco- 
parius. The grass was uprooted and some of the bugs placed in 
bottles by the use of sterile lifters. Several bottles of bugs, together 
with a portion of the surrounding earth, were collected in at least 
one locality in each county visited. 
It was desired to ascertain if a spontaneous outbreak of the fungus 
could be obtained among the incarcerated bugs. Since, under the 
natural conditions to which the bugs were subjected in the bottles, 
