121 
voraciously and apparently vigorous. No trace of disease among 
them. July 4, 5, 6, and 7, clear and warm, with no rain, average 
temperature 81°. Wheat cut on the latter date. Crop a complete 
failure; heads light and grains very small and shriveled; not 
gathered at all; burned over the following day. Many chinch- 
bugs destroyed by the fire. Corn badly attacked. Experiment a 
complete failure so far as the spread of the disease was concerned. 
No. 62. A second field infection experiment, made June 18 in 
the same strip of wheat on the University farm as No. 61, and 
under precisely similar conditions except that the material used 
consisted of about three thousand live chinch-bugs thoroughly ex¬ 
posed to infection in No. 54, and liberated by Mr. Marten at the 
point represented at b, Plate II. Examined June 21 by Mr. E. 
B. Forbes, June 27 by Mr. Johnson and myself, and July 3 by 
Mr. E. B. Forbes again, but at no time were bugs dead with the 
white fungus found in sufficient numbers to indicate that the con¬ 
tagion had taken effect. On the latter date, however, half a dozen 
fungus-covered bugs were found on the ground in the first three 
drill rows, where the original material had been scattered; other¬ 
wise no traces of the disease were seen, either in wheat or corn 
This experiment, like No. 61, considered a failure. 
The five following (Nos. 63-67) are successive field infection ex¬ 
periments made on the farm of Mr. Samuel Bartley, one mile west 
of Edge wood, in southwest Effingham county, a locality particu¬ 
larly favorable to our purposes, since it was in the midst of one 
of the worst infested districts of Southern Illinois. These expeii- 
ments were followed through the season by Messrs. Marten and 
Johnson, of the office force, assisted by Mr. Bartley on the ground.* 
All the wheat fields on this farm, as well as those of the sur¬ 
rounding neighborhood, were closely examined by Mr. Marten 
June 19. Young chinch-bugs in all stages of development were 
everywhere abundant, covering the wheat in many places, and a 
few adults were seen. In all these fields small numbers of chinch- 
bugs, both young and old, were found dead with the fungus of 
white muscardine, spontaneously occurring. The ground was rather 
moist at the time from heavy rains of the 16th and 17th of June, 
the latest previous rain having fallen May 22. The temperature 
since this latter date had been uniformly high, the daily record 
rarely falling below 90° Fah.f 
No. 63. June 19, several thousand chinch-bugs from No. 54, 
some still alive and others dead with the white fungus, were placed 
on the ground in a small wheat field on the Bartley farm where 
chinch-bugs were most abundant, the exact location being marked 
by two stakes driven into the ground. Mr. Bartley kept a record 
of temperature and rainfall, and examined the field every third or 
fourth day. June 20, 21, 22, and 23 were exceedingly hot, the 
average temperature reading for these days deing 96|° Fah. No 
indications that the disease was spreading, June 24, light rain. 
* Mr. Bartley has been for several years a correspondent of the office with respect to the eco¬ 
nomic entomology of his district. He is a man thoroughly competent by education,temperament., 
and experience to report upon such matters as were here entrusted to him. 
+ The temperature observations here reported were made by Mr. Bartley daily between eleven 
and twelve o’clock. 
