112 
ground was here quite damp, and chinch-bugs had collected in 
considerable numbers. The muecardine fungus was also much 
more abundant here than elsewhere in the field, and several hun¬ 
dred whitened bodies could have been collected. It was, however, 
thought advisable to allow them to remain, in order to determine, 
if possible, whether or not the disease would spread frcm these 
centers of spontaneous development. Wheat cut June 25, but so 
far as could be seen, according to Mr. Wells, the fungus had not 
spread. 
July 11 a few traces of the original material were found by 
Mr. Marten in the northeast corner. A few whitened bodies were 
under the fallen wheat at a aud b , but the fungus was apparently 
a week or ten days old, and there was no indication that the 
disease had spread from these places. Only an occasional live in¬ 
sect seen in the stubble, the great majority having migrated into 
adjoining corn (B and D), where considerable mischief was done. 
Several rows in the latter field had already been killed, and the 
corn was blackened with bugs for several rods. In the former 
field, however, the bugs were not quite so abundant, their progress 
being checked by a narrow lane 1 rod wide and an orchard (E) 
4 rods wide, thickly grown up with weeds and grass, which sepa¬ 
rated A from B. The chinch-bug hordes were constantly emerg¬ 
ing from the grass, however, and entering the corn. Many were 
hiding under clods and rubbish in both fields, but not one was 
found dead with any kind of fungous growth. 
Mr. Wells reported August 8, that, in his opinion, we had 
wasted our labor, as he could not find any indication that the 
disease had spread to any part of his farm. 
No. 56. A farmer’s contagion experiment conducted by Mr. 
Wells, and examined several times during the season by Mr. Mar¬ 
ten and Mr. Johnson. The box, 12x18x16 in., was prepared ac¬ 
cording to our directions (see p. 90), with a bottom layer of dirt 
half an inch deep, moistened and covered with a layer of corn 
j eaves and green wheat. About two dozen diseased chinch-bugs 
from No. 54 were placed in the box June 7, together with a little 
more than a quart of live insects collected from wheat and corn 
in the neighborhood of No. 55. The box thus stocked was tightly 
closed, covered with a wet grain sack, and kept in the cellar on 
the damp floor. 
June 10, nearly a quart of insects, both dead and alive, were 
removed from the box, several hundred of the dead being well 
covered with the fungus. All the insects, both dead and alive, 
were used for starting infection experiments in corn and oats 
(see Nos. 57 and 58). Several dozen whitened bodies were left 
in the box, into which about a pint of live insects collected from 
corn (B) were put, together with a fresh supply of corn leaves 
for food. The box remained in good condition and was supplied 
with fresh food and live insects about every third day. June 20 
the second lot of material was removed,—about three pints in 
all,—consisting, as before, of dead and live insects. Box examined 
by Mr. Marten and found in excellent condition; several dozen 
