578 
Journal of Agricultural Research 
Vol. XXXI, No. 6 
important to have information on the maturity of species from the 
standpoint of overwintering and early spring feeding of the bugs. 
Those species which mature extremely early usually are blown away 
before fall and therefore would afford very little winter protection, 
while the later-maturing species retain their dead stems and leaves 
throughout the winter, making excellent chinch-bug harbors. Most 
of the common native perennial grasses found in the vicinity of Man¬ 
hattan are of that nature. 
TYPE OF PLANT GROWTH 
The characteristic types of growth exhibited by the plants under 
culture are noted as turi-forming, dispersed, tufted, and bunch. The 
terms “ turf-forming 7 ’ and “bunch” are self explanatory. In those 
species of dispersed habit, the plants usually are found singly or 
scattered over a considerable area. Such plants usually have only 
a few culms and do not form definite tufts or clumps, although there 
may be a large number of plants in a small area. The plants occur¬ 
ring in tufts are usually low-growing species, such as species of Bou- 
teloua; while bunch types are usually large and coarse-stemmed, 
such as species of Andropogon, Sorghastrum nutans , and Triodia 
flava. 
HABITAT 
Information concerning the habitats of the various species was 
obtained from a number of sources. That given for the species 
indigenous to Kansas was taken from the junior author’s notes and 
experience with those species. For the exotic species, knowledge of 
the habitat was obtained from various publications on the flora of 
the United States and Europe. Wherever possible the kind of 
place in which the species occurs most commonly is referred to, in 
this paper, as its habitat. It is of considerable interest to note that 
those grasses which were the most resistant to chinch-bug attack 
were those which occur most commonly as roadside or fence-row 
grasses, and comprise most of the pasture and prairie grasses indig¬ 
enous to Kansas. Two roadside and fence-row conditions obtain 
in Kansas, one in which the original sod has not been disturbed, and 
in which the native perennial prairie grasses predominate, and 
another in which the soil has been disturbed and annual species such 
as Bromus tectorum , B. arvensis , Hordeum pusillium , H. jubatum , 
and annual species of Fragrostis predominate. 
There are a number of species which are listed as occurring in cul¬ 
tivated fields. Such grasses as Bromus tectorum , B. arvensis , Hordeum 
jubatum , and species of Lolium often appear in wheat fields and some¬ 
times become serious weeds. Within the last three years Aegilops 
cylindrica (Triticum culindricum) has appeared as a noxious weed in 
wheat fields and disturbed roadsides and fence-rows in central Kansas. 
This species is of interest from the standpoint of chinch bugs, since 
it is a winter annual like wheat, often occurs as a volunteer weed in 
the late summer, and is so closely related to wheat as to hydridize 
with it. 
CHINCH-BUG INJURY 
Within a few days after the adjacent wheat was harvested most 
of the rows of grasses were literally swarming with chinch bugs in 
all instars of nymphal development, as well as thousands of adult 
