98 
wheat heavily fertilized before sowing, with barn-yard manure—al¬ 
most the only wheat in that neighborhood- was very vigorously at¬ 
tacked in spring by the chinch bug, much of it being badly dam¬ 
aged by the adults of the hibernating generation before they had 
even laid their eggs. Notwithstanding this injury, and that by 
the much more abundant generation following, this plot yielded, 
according to a report made to me August 4, at the rate of- 20.8 
bushels per acre, e4 pounds to the bushel; while the poition of 
it treated in spring with special fertilizers* yielded at the rate o 
24 bushels per acre, 62 pounds to the bushel. The ususal aver¬ 
age yield of this region does not exceed 18 bushels. It is scarcely 
possible that this field could have yielded more than ten bushels 
per acre if left unfertilized. The effect of the first application of 
manure was, therefore, to about double the crop; and that of the 
second, to further increase this yield by some twenty-eight per 
cent. 
7. Fall plowing , and heavy rolling after the seed is sown. This 
measure is based upon the fact that the female chinch bug see s 
the roots of grain in spring upon which to lay her eggs, and 
can penetrate compact soil less readily than that recently plowed. 
As the eggs are very frequently and freely laid, however, upon 
the lower part of the plant above the earth, this measure probably 
uannot have any very important effect. 
8. The nse of surplus seed. This serves a double purpose, that 
of shading the ground, as mentioned above, and that of supplying 
an excess of vegetation, some of which may be sacrificed to the 
bugs without serious diminution of the yield. 
9 Early planting of crops exposed to chinch-hug attack ( ex¬ 
cepting corn). As the principal damage is done by the young ot 
the spring generation, and as these do not ordinarily begin o 
hatch until the middle of May and are most destructive late m 
June, early planting may often so advance the crop as to get it 
practically out of their way. This applies as well, of course, to 
winter grain as to the spring varieties. 
10 Late planting of corn. Corn should be planted late enough 
to make it certain that the hibernating adults have all left their 
winter quarters and established themselves m gram fields for le- 
production; otherwise the crop may be infested by this first gen¬ 
eration as well as by the second. 
11. Mixture of seed , to repel or destroy _ the insect. The sow¬ 
ing of clover in' spring on winter wheat is largely practiced m 
Southern Illinois, and with unquestionably good effect provided that 
the clover grows freely enough to shade the ground by the time 
the young chinch bug gets fairly under way. Frequently how¬ 
ever, in that latitude, clover makes too slow and slight a start to 
effect this purpose. 
*One hundred pounds each, per acre, of nitrate of soda, superphosphates, and sulphate of pot¬ 
ash. 
