48 
I find no complaints of damage recorded in 1870, but as the summer 
was dry over a large area, and they appeared in immense numbers in 
1871, it is more than probable that they began to increase in the latter 
half of the season. . 
As Dr. Le Baron has noticed somewhat fully in his second report 
their operations in 1871, it would be unnecessary for me to do more 
than advert to it were it not for the fact that this second report does 
not appear to have been generally distributed and is rarely seen. The 
following quotation will suffice to show the extent and severity of this 
visitation : 
“Some idea of the loss caused by the depredations oi this insect, in 
this and neighboring States, may be realized when we learn that over 
a belt of territory one hundred miles wide, commencing in the west¬ 
ern part of Indiana, and extending more than four hundred miles 
west, embracing an area of more than forty thousand square miles, the 
preat staple of spring wheat was reduced to not more than a quarter 
of an average crop, and in many places wholly destroyed ; and that 
over the same territory barley was less than half a crop, and oats not 
more than three-quarters of their usual amount. 
“The center of this belt appears to have been a little north ot the 
center of the State, being about on a line with the junction of Iowa 
and Missouri, and taking in a corresponding part ot southern Iowa 
and Nebraska and of northern Missouri and Kansas. south ot thl j 
belt winter wheat takes the place of spring wheat and barley, and 
the Chinch-bugs, though present in considerable numbers, ceased to 
commit any very serious damage. North of this belt, also, notwith¬ 
standing that spring wheat constitutes a leading crop, the bugs be¬ 
came gradually less numerous, and a tolerable crop of this grain was 
harvested. And vet all through northern Illinois and the southern 
part of Wisconsin, these insects were numerous enough to damage tne 
crop to some extent, and to excite the most serious apprehensions tor 
the succeeding year. _ f 
“In order to obtain as correct an idea as possible ot the amount oi 
loss sustained by the agriculturist from the depredations of this in¬ 
sect the past year (1871), both in this and the northwestern States i 
have made the following calculations based upon the statistics ot the 
Department of Agriculture, with a reasonable estimate ot the pro¬ 
portional damage caused by this insect to those crops upon which 
they depredate. All such calculations must necessarily be only ap¬ 
proximately correct, and very loose and extravagant conjectures have 
sometimes been indulged in upon the loss caused by Chinch-bugs in 
~ , • -i Til._1-- ^ -t-r An T r\ kofifi 
former seasons of their prevalence. It has been my intention to keep 
within reasonable bounds, and by giving the figures in the case, 1 
• . • _i - __ - A 4- /A /I 
u-ive others the opportunity to review my estimates. 
' “Taking the returns of the Department of Agriculture, for the year. 
1869 and 1870, for our guide, we may assume the present annual yield 
of wheat in the State of Illinois to be 30,000,000 of bushels, of oats 
40,000,000, and of barley 3,000,000. . , llr . 
“The area seriously ravaged by these insects, comprised as we h 
above stated about the middle third of the State. This section would 
bear its full proportional third of the wheat and oats, and at leas 
one-half of the barley raised in the whole State. This wou g 
as the product of that part of the State ravaged by Chinch-bug. 
