Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1867-07-26
For the american.
y New Enemy to the Potato
the Ihree-llned Potato
Beetle.

MIR. EDIToR.-For i week or more. We
have noticed that our early potatoes were
willing, as ifripenins or suffering for want
OF rain, but being too busy at having &c
give them more than 4 passing thought OF
look. Yesterday some Of my neighbors
upon close Inspection. discovered the
,eiiting to be caused by a new, and TO them.
an unheard Of insect The potato leaves
are thronged with them, and judging from
the devastating progress which they have
made within a week. it viii take but n very
short time longer to completely annihilate
both leaves and stalks.
The insect somewhat resembles shell
led snail, its head and feet are black. the
body of yellowish tipgc. wet and coated
over with Shiny filth. They cluster on the
under side of the leaves.
From the description given by the cele-
brated Entomolo.ist Dir. Fitch. tits I'm.
donbtedly the Three-lined Potato beetle.
which for several years has ocea>ioncd Sc
rioHs injury to the potatoes in the West
lady from Ohio now here Oh 4 visit, rec
ogDlZea them At once.
Says Dir. Fitch. "of the injurious insects
Which are constantly present in our po,a-
= fields this lined Potato beetle i
the most Important. Abou. the first of Jul
" (jn this lati;ude) when the potato tops
are become considerably advanced. they
begin TO gather upon them, and there take
mp their abode. feeding upon the leaves.
| When they have consumed a fourth pant
of the leaf OF therea5olt they migratc to
another. until they have consumed SIM
lar portion Of it, As they approach matur.-
II they remain upon 4 particular leat->.alk
until they have consumed all or nearly all
Of the foliage growing upon it,"
Il is said that there a, c two generations
OF these insects annually, one early il June
and again il August.
Ii is quite impraetieable to brush them
Of. as suggested by Dir. Harris. Even
whe, n leaf is immersed in dish of salt
and water. diluted vinegar. soap suds or
coal oil, they d. not let go their hold. and
can only be detached from theieaf by for
chilly wiping them off.
While wrtiAs 4 neita5or sent in Il leaf
with nine on it. attempted an examina-
ton o. olc ofthcm with Crais's micro scope
but the iil.hy scamp 50 quickly coated the
under surface OF the lens With its slime thar
could oaly determine th.1 it was exceed
in9ly Disgusting.
This insect, bug. or beetle occasioned
considerable alarm in the State of New
York i'll 1864, then supposed to be the Ar
kansas potato Bug, or more properly the
Tcn-lined Potato Beetle. a new and very
Obstructive enemy of the potato, which was
first seen in Arkansas and Colorado ia 1859
This beetle has ROW crosse 4 the Mississippi
into Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin. aud i,
travelling towards the Atlantic at the rate
of 90 or GO miles year. \ writer in the
y. \. Tribune under date of 1865. saws
this insect has travelled from Omaha CITY
% Rock Island. distance of $50 miles in
six years. At this rate of passage it will
reac! rs in about II years.
Of all the insects which nfest the potat O
fields. this one is the most Obstructive. In
Iowa the rayagcs of this neac potato bug
have been so great that many farmers have
been discouraged from planting potatoes,
they almost cover the whole potato vine.
eating everything green on it. Says DR..
Walsh. hitherto noXious insects in TIC
United States have been found to traveI
from the east to the west. We have here
the first instance on record of a noxious in.
sect travelling from the west towards the
east SAMUEL WATSON.
July I'D. 1867.