Rutland herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1823-1847, 1844-10-17
From The Washington Go. Post
THE POTATOE INSECTS OF
WORMS

WORMS
These insects, which are novel visitors
in our vicinity, are committing extensive
rnvages on the potatoe crop They
vary in size and structure In August, my
attention was first called to the sickly and
decayng appearance Of the po,ntoe crops in
many Of the fields Intelligcn, farmers Ms
signed the dryness of the season os reason
for premature decay OF tina, plant. | con.
versed with several business men from
Western New York, where the potatoe dis
case had prevailed for two preceding sea.
sons, bu, rec eived nothing satisfactory on
tho subject Il examined the Cultivn,or md
other publications which furnished no solu.
ton to the mystery
Abou, the frs, of September | opchcd n
few hills OF pink eye potatoes having decay.
cd tops, when hundred of small white in.
sects were seen on the potatoes; some Of
the potatoes were entirely rotten how.
ever resolved 10 give the subject thorough
investigation Having few ofihem wash.
ed perfectly clean, examined and readily
discovered that there were minute nunc.
lures through the skin into the substance of
the potaloe; the healthy appearance of the
skin for short distance around the perfora.
tons was changed to brown color second,
vesication or blister; third n vegetable
abscess of limited matter; evidently show.
ing that the POTATOES very much infested BY
the insects, and were going to decay in con
cequence oflhe ravages Of these borers !;
fourth, the appearance of moist gangrenc OF
a livld or purple color, which is only a VA.
riety OF decomposition resulting from the
injury inflicted by thvse insects.
A Buffalo paper stated they had consd.
cradle complaint from the farmers in that
vicinity, that the potato crop was beginning
to rot, the tops were stricken with rust and
dying before the plant had come TO mauri.
ty. This statement correspond precisely
with the appearance ofthe plant in our town
A late No. Of the Journal of the Royal
Agricultural Society of Englund has also "A
papes written by a Russian on dry gangrcne
or disease which may be designated bv
some other name which has affected the no.
lato crop for several years in Great Britain,
Germany, Russia and Sweden, and here !
would ask, was the potato rot or potato
worm heard of in America before the i'm
norta'on # foreign potatoes as every one
knows the origin Hissan fly. The public
mind begins to be excited on this subject,
and the question is often asked what is the
cause of the potatoe rot?
The perfora,ons in the skin appear TO be
made by the different kind of worms -
The mos, numerous are about n half Of
inch in length, of brown color, bod,
oval, when full size The other is
, small brown worm body round, and III,
size OF pin wire an inch in length on thu
poiatoeare small white spots resembling 20
tatoe starch, which first mistoook for
mould, but proved to be the the castings o
these destructive borcrs. A short time sine,
, | called at the residence of A. Livingston
Esq, Greenwich, who spoke of the potato,
, rot, and expressed his fears tha. he should
! loose at least one third Of his crop, perhap
one half, but had not learned the cause o
the disease.
!. We went ont into his garden and exam
q ined.when webecame convinced BY demon
/. stration that il was these little miners which
were working the destruction of this vcr,
valuable article OF domestic food-now b,
wished to know the remedy, and indcec
!. should not our community, as well as tn
4 farmer, feel been interest in this importan
;. subject especially when we consider tina
!. according to the report of Mr.. EIlswotl
4 commissioner of the patent office, the pota
u toe crop ofihis State alone exceeds 10000,
/ 900 bushels year. With regard to tn,
!. necessity and propriciy OF taking the sub
, ject into serious consideration, would rec
4 ommend the examination of The valuable
reports of Mr.. Thaddeus w Harris. repor
ted BY him to the Ii gislature of Massac hu
sets, on the insects injurious TO vegetation
now leave the subject hoping that the in
tellig ent and careful culivators of the sol
and others may soon discover and sugges
> remedy.
Asthe potatoes were past the howerin!
b. season when CO mmenced my observations
g l had no opportunity 10 trace the history @
!, these insects any further. and conse
!. quen'ly their larva are unknown to me
I good description Of the Iarva and a NOR
q foil account OF their names, seasons chan
. ges IL transformation they undergo are still
wan,ed-it is probably the curcullo. 90
Mus OF insects belonging 10 the coleopter
i or bette order-judging from a few exper
!. lmcnts which have made by sitting nj
;. lime both on the sound and on those who
have been punclua!ed by the nscc,s--I bc
4 Iieve hat it will destroy many of the'insect
n and have a saIUiary fleet on the poialoe.
f. ARcH'D McALLEsTER.
f. SALEM, Sept 20, 1874.
I