58 
meteorological conditions, years of greatest drouth being generally 
marked by unusual development of insect life. Same cause ren¬ 
ders plants less able than usual to withstand insect injury. Be¬ 
lieves that as a rule two consecutive dry seasons are necessary to. 
great development of most injurious species. Presents meteoro¬ 
logical tables of rainfall and temperature for Illinois and adjacent 
parts of Iowa and Missouri from 1840 to 1877. Excludes -Cairo 
record and early record from Sandwich, table being drawn from 
various sources not fully specified, but including Athens [Menard 
County] record, commencing in 1840, and signal service records 
of Chicago, Dubuque, Davenport, and St. Louis, for years 1873-77. 
Temperature series taken, with some exceptions, from Augusta, 
Hancock county. Concludes that a seven years’ period is discern¬ 
ible in the rainfall series, each of these periods being again 
divided into sub-periods of four and three years respectively. 
Finds a passable correspondence between these periods and the 
years of greatest chincli-bug injury,—1850, 1854, 1871, and 1874. 
Infers that multiplication of chinch bugs depends on combined 
influence of increased rainfall and high temperature. Mentions 
some exceptions to this rule with their explanations. Belives it 
impossible to predict with certainty whether a given year will be 
marked by chinch-bug injury. Calls attention to an apparent error 
in the estimate of damage to the wheat crop by the chinch bug 
in 1864, made by Dr. Shimer, and of that to the crop of 1871, 
made by Dr. LeBaron. Says these estimates do not conform to 
the statistics of the Agricultural Department, and that they are 
entirely too large. Becommends planting trees and forming ponds 
as measures for retaining and distributing moisture in dry years. 
Thomas, Cyrus. —Anti-Chinch-Bug Crops. (Farmers’ Review, Jan. 
20, 1881, v. .6, p. 35.) 
Answer to an inquiry from Nebraska as to the crops least 
subject to ravages by chinch bug, and the mode of farming best 
adapted to reduce its injuries to a minimum. As corn and 
spring wheat appear to favor the development of this insect more 
than other crops, reduce corn area and sow winter wheat. Favors 
the early sowing of buckwheat on land to be cropped in wheat, 
turning it under with the plow just before sowing wheat. Men¬ 
tions flax and peas as crops little liable to injury by the chinch 
bug. Suggests four preventive measures: (1) Devote attention 
largely to stock-raising; (2) rely on winter wheat as chief money 
crop if it can be successfully grown, substituting oats for corn; 
(3) sow buckwheat, not only for grain but to clear ground of in¬ 
sects, raising also flax, peas, and potatoes, as far as profitable; 
(4) whenever the bugs appear in corn burn their hiding places 
in spring or fall—preferably in fall. v * 
Kingsley, D. W.—Anti-Chinch-Bug Crops. (Farmers’ Review, 
Feb. 24, 1881, v. 6, p. 114.) 
Independence, Kan. “The ravages of the chinch bug here have 
been just in proportion to the wheat crop, especially on upland.” 
