The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1871-06-16
From Detroit the Post.
T,EsE EsGT.YTSS- EGG.

TYsE E'OT.7TSS-HCG.
THE potato.bug still continues the ab
sorbng topic Of conversation among tar
mers, who find the study Of his habi
necessary but rather expensive branch o
their educrtion. In hopes of sheddin!
some additional light on the subject, W.
CLEAN from the Illinois StdatS-Zc tHny
ii few facts that may be new to most o
our readers. The article is written 10y
Mr.. FRED. HECKER, a scientific farmer
of Belleville, Iii who is regarded as al
authority III nearly all matters pertain
ING TO agriculture.
The so.called Colorado potato-bug
he says in substance is Il nativu of the
canons of the Rocky Mountains, where
it feeds on the wild potato called SoIt
mum roStrnum. 1t left its original
haunts in 1864, and is travelling east.
ward at the rate Of about one hundred
and fifty mil S year. It has already
reached the Allegheny Mountains, and
will soon spread all over the United
States The line of Its march is over
Iowa, Northern illinois, Indiana, Mich.
igan, Ohio, etc. Wherever most pota-
toes are produced, there the Colorado
bug is found in the greatest abundance,
an there it viii be most likely to make
permanent home as it does not thrive
in more southern climates
The insect is known to science a. the
dOJjphOra teH-tineoto, and exists III
three successive generations each season.
The first continues about twelve days,
and, if promptly and generally destroy
ed, the crop may be saved. Soon after
its first emer@ence from the ground, 1t
begins to deposit its orange colored eggs
on the under side of the potato leaf,
from twenty to forty in cluster These
should be at once destroyed. 1t is the
critical moment with the farmers and,
if neglected, subsequent labor will be in
vain. Mr. HEcKER says ne has in five
days destroyed Fifteen thousand eggs
From this statement, one may infer the
productiveness of the insect through
the two remaining generations. He
would have a law compelling every far
mor to destroy the eggs on his potatoes,
for, the neglect OF single individual is
sure to prove disastrous to al the pota.
to.fclds in the peghborhood.
The insect also feeds upon all plants
belonging to the same family, including
the tomato and eggplant. As to the
best manner of getting rid Of this pest
when full grown, the writer is not speci
fc, but deprecates the use of Paris
green. 1t docs not destroy the eggs,
and poisons only such bugs as are foot
ish enough to eat it, while it Injuries the
plant aud all who have anything to do
with it, and actually makes the eating
of potatoes dangerous. In case the
first crop is destroyed, he advises that
the ground be planted to some crop that
will require Il frequent blowing and
stirring up of the soil Potatoes should
not be planted successfully on the same
soil and where straw is used, it should
never be used twice, but should be care.
fully burned, together with the vines.
He thinks crop of some quick grow
ing variety might be raised from seed
planted the last OF June after the bug
season is fairly over.
Some farmers have covered their pc.
tato vines with straw, in the belief that
this would protect them against the
ravages of the insect But the bugs
are very cunning, and have as much
brains as mosquitoes have. They crawl
through the straw on to the vines; and
on hearing the approach of footsteps,
will run back to escape detection. &
will be seen, therefore, that our farmers
have no common enemy to deal with.
Mr.. HECKER's condemnation of Paris
green has the emphatic endorsement of
the Wayne County Agricultural Socie-
ty, which earnestly protests against the
use Of this poison for the destruction of
the bug. 1t does no good and great
deal of harm
There can be no doubt that the pota-
to crop of the Northwest is in imminent
danger and it is difficult to realize
what serious blow it's loss wouln inhict.
With many of the laboring classes this
csculcnt is the staff of lfe;;" and its
absence for a single year would entail
almost as great distress as the failure of
wheat itself. Even in commercial
point of view, this Colorado visitor is
likely to prove more troublesome and
costly than all the savages on the from
tier In 1869, the five States, Illinois,
Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, and Wiscon-
sin produced Thirty.four Million One
Hundred and Fifty Thousand bushels
oil potatoes, valued in Tue aggregate at
Fifteen Million dollars. Michigan alone
produced Seven and.a-half Millions of
bushels, valued at Two.and .three.quar.
ter Millions of dollars; and the product
Of 1871 would doubtless have been still
areater. A potato famine, such as is
threatened, would be severely felt by all
classes of the community; and what
ever is done to avert it, must be done
/ IL. r A