The Bulletin 
121 
other examination showed that the corn on the ridges had been able to 
continue its growth and was much more advanced than the corn on the 
level. 
This method is not generally applicable, owing to the cost of con¬ 
structing ridges. It is mentioned in this connection because it might 
be used for the growing of early corn for market purposes where the 
expense involved would not be such an important item. This method 
must not be confused with the general practice of ridging corn at the 
time of the last cultivation. In the ridging method as here outlined 
the corn is planted upon a ridge. This method would he applicable 
only to lands that are very moist and where bill bugs normally abound, 
and not to lands that are very dry. ■>. 
FALL ANI) WINTER PLOWING 
Fall and winter plowings have been tried to a limited extent upon 
small plats, but no very striking difference could be noted in favor of 
this practice. However, if most of the adults live over the winter in the 
fields, the plowing of the land in the late fall or in the winter would 
disturb them very seriously and would act as a decided check upon 
their ravages. If, on the other hand, only a small number of beetles 
live over winter in the corn-fields, then the fall or winter plowing would 
not be such an important factor in the control of the bill bugs. The 
writer believes, however, that even if it should be proven that only a 
fraction of the adults hibernate in the corn-fields, the practice of fall or 
winter plowing would be profitable as a factor in the control of the 
corn bill bug where the same field was to be planted to corn two years 
in succession. 
THOROUGH CULTIVATION 
It has been stated that frequent shallow cultivation will keep the 
corn bill bug in control. And there are many things that would lead 
one to believe that this might be true. As discussed above, the adults 
spend considerable time hiding away under clods, etc. Therefore, it 
would seem but logical that cultivation would have a tendency to break 
up these retreats, and, if the cultivations were frequently made, that 
they would have a tendency to keep the insects disturbed; and these 
factors perhaps have some importance. However, a rather long series 
of observations has led the writer to believe that the effects of cultiva¬ 
tion are not upon the bill bugs directly, but are rather upon the corn, 
causing it to grow more rapidly, and hence to be much more resistant 
to the attacks of all its pests. Observations show that corn that is well 
cultivated will generally make a better growth when atacked by corn 
bill bugs than com which is improperly cultivated; but, on the other 
hand, the writer has frequently seen corn succumb to the attacks of this 
insect when, so far as he could determine, the corn had had the very 
best of cultural attention. Then, again, counts of the number of bill 
