119 
chinch-bugs were very numerous, having come from wheat on the 
opposite side of the road. The material, about one third of a 
quart, was scattered over the ground between the drill rows, 
covering a strip five or six feet in width by four or five rods m 
length (see heavy dotted lines on Plate I). A second distribu 
tion, similar to the above, was made June 20, of several hundred 
chinch bugs, dead with massardine, taken from the same box (56). 
No traces of the fungus was found in this field June 25, and 
Mr. Wells reported that no disease was present there July 17, 
when the oats were cut, although live chinch-bugs were every¬ 
where abundant in the west half. Mr. Johnson carefully searched 
the stubble and grass along the road September 19, but found no 
insects dead with disease; in fact, the bugs had entirely abandoned 
the field, except a few adults and pupie feeding on an occasional 
cluster of foxtail-grass. The grass along the roadside was badly 
infested; but dead insects were very rarely seen. The fungus was 
quite abundant in corn several rods to the northwest September 
tig, but the hemipterous insect found at that time, referred to in 
experiment 57, was the only fungus-covered bug seen in the im¬ 
mediate vicinity of the oat field. The experiment was an utter 
failure so far as the destruction of chinch-bugs in the oats was 
concerned. 
No. 59. A farmer’s contagion experiment conducted by Mr. 
James Smith on his farm near Farina. About one dozen fungus- 
covered chinch-bugs from No. 51 were delivered to Mr. Smith 
June 7 by Mr. Marteu. June 8 a box was prepare! according to 
our directions, in which a lot of live chinch-bugs collected from 
wheat were placed, together with the bugs dead with Sporo trichum. 
The box was supplied with fresh food and live insects when 
needed. About June 15 several dozen whitened bodies were re¬ 
moved and placed in wheat (No. 60). The box was kept in^ good 
condition until June 27, when it was abandoned by Mr. Smith, 
who at that time considered the contagious-disease method of “no 
account in checking chinch-bug ravages, and resorted to the fui- 
row method for the arrest and destruction of the bugs (see 
No. 88). n , _ _ 
No. 60. A farmer’s field infection experiment made by Mr, 
James Smith, on his farm near Farina, with several dozen bugs 
dead with the fungus from No. 59, which were placed about June 
15 in a wheat field where chinch-bugs were very numerous. June # 
19, field carefully examined by Mr. Marten. First search made in 
vicinity of place where infected bugs had been distributed. A few 
adults found here dead with muscardine, but others also through¬ 
out the field in about the same proportion. It must be borne in 
mind that this same fungus was generally present in this vicinity 
at this time, being more or less abundant in all fields visited. 
June 7, as noted under No. 55, it was found in wheat on the 
Wells farm and on other farms adjoining Mr, Smith s. It is quite 
probable, therefore, that the fungus of the white muscardine of 
the chinch-bug was locally present in the wheat where Mr. Smith 
first placed his material. July 11 Mr. Marten found no traces of 
