86 
In discussion following, states that he personally witnessed disappear¬ 
ance of chinch bugs in Franklin and Douglas counties, Kansas. 
1890. 
Forbes, S. A.—Studies on the Chinch Bug, II. (16th Rep. State Ent. Ill., 
1887-88, pp. 45-49,56.) 
Snow, F. H.—Experiments for the Artificial Dissemination of a Conta¬ 
gious Disease among Chinch Bugs. (Proc. 19th Annual Meeting Kan. 
State Board Agric., pp. 142-144; Trans. Kan. Acad. Sci., v. 12, pp. BI¬ 
ST.) 
Learned from correspondent in June, 1889, of outbreak of disease (En- 
tomophthora) among chinch bugs in Morris county, Kansas, ground in 
many places among oats and wheat being white with the dead bugs. All 
had died where grain was heavy, but many escaped where crops were 
thin. Reports successful experiment for conveyance of disease to healthy 
chinch bugs by enclosing latter in jar with affected specimens. Considers 
disease more easily communicated by still living sick bugs than by dead 
ones. 
As consequence of inaccurate report of results by daily paper, numer¬ 
ous letters were received from farmers and others in nine different 
States, requesting diseased insects for artificial infection of chinch bugs 
in the field. Publishes extracts from reports of results by various corre¬ 
spondents. 
Proposes experiment to test possibility of keeping disease-producing 
fungi alive over winter. 
Webster, F. M.—The Chinch Bug. (Bull. 22, Div. Ent., U. S. Dept 
Agric., pp. 60-63.) 
Reports precise field experiment begun July 20, with Entomophthors 
received from Snow of Kansas. Five days after introduction in the fielc 
chinch bugs began to die of entomophthorous attack; in twelve days dis 
ease had spread over fifty feet beyond the infected area; in twenty-im 
days one hundred and seventy feet farther; and in thirty-two days t 
quarter of a mile from the starting point. Chinch bugs not excessively 
abundant in region of experiment. Amount of rainfall given. 
Laboratory experiment reported in which infected specimens of variou: 
ages, sixteen lots, all died within eleven days. At the same time others 
were exposed to infection for five hours, which thirteen days later wen 
all alive,—the second experiment being practically a check upon th< 
first. By another conclusive experiment Webster shows that if the air b< 
kept dry the Entomophthora will not take effect; and by still another 
that the progress of the disease, after thorough infection, may be arrestei 
by completely drying the air. Concludes that an abundance of the in 
sects and a moist atmosphere are essential to economic use of the Ento 
mophthora. “The only way that this fungoid disease seems capable o 
being employed in agriculture is by the establishment of some centra 
propagating station to which farmers can apply and receive an abundan 
supply of infested bugs on short notice. By this means they could tak 
advantage of a rainy period of a week or ten days, and if they can contriy 
bv sowing plats of millet and Hungarian to mass the bugs in certaii 
localities about their fields, they might accomplish something toward 
warding off an invasion. But the possibility of overcoming an lii^asioi 
after it is fully under way, as is almost sure to be the case during a dri 
season, it must be confessed is not very encouraging.'’ 
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