The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1871-06-16
The Potato Rnp.

Inv popoto ouS Stlll continues the alb.
sorbing topic among farmers, who find
the study OF his habits necessary but
rather expensive branch of their edu.
cation. In hopes of shedding some
additional light on the subject, we CLEAN
fl ON the Illinois Stats Zeit,olg few facts
that may be new to most OF our readers.
The article is written by Fred Hecker.
a scientific farmer of Belleville, Illinois.
who is regarded as high authority in
almost all matters pertaining to agri-
culture.
The so-called Colorado potato bug. he
says in substance, is a native of the can
ons of the Rocky Mountains, where it
feeds on the wild potato called Solaauna
roStratun,. 1t left its original haunts in
1864, and is travelling eastward at the
rate OF about $50 miles year. 1t has
already reached the Allegheny Noun.
tains and will soon spread all over the
United States. The line of Is march is
over Iowa, Northern Illinois. Indiana.
Michigan, Ohio, etc. Wherever most
potatoes are produced, there the Colo.
RADIO bug is found in the greatest album
dance, and there it will be most likely
toNnake a permanent home. 1t does
The insect is known to science as the
d0riOh0ra ten-Gneata, and exists in three
successive generations each season. The
first continues about twelve days, and,
if p romptly and generally destroyed,
the crop may be saved. Soon after its
first emergence from the ground, it be-
gins to deposit its orange-colored eggs
on the under side of the potato leaf,
from 20 To 40 in cluster. These should
be at once destroyed; it is the critical
moment with the farmers, and, if neg.
lected, subsequent labor will be in vain.
Mx. Hecker says he has in five days de-
stroyed $1,000 eggs. From this state
ment, one may infer the productiveness
of the insect through the two remaining
generations. He would have law COM
polling every farmer to destroy the eggs
on his potatoes, for the neglect of a sim
Gle individual is sure to prove disastrous
to all the potato fields in the neighbor-
hood.
The insect also feeds upon all plants
belongn to the same family, including
the tomato and egg plant. As to the
best manner OF getting nd OF the pest
when full grown, the writer is not spe.
cihc but deprecates the use of Paris
green. 1t does not destroy the eggs,
and poisons only such bugs as are tool
ish enough to eat it, while 1T Injuries the
plant and all who have anything 20 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 frequent blowing and stir
ring 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 growing
variety might be raised from seed planted
the last of June, after the bug season is
fairly over.
Some farmers have covered their po-
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 onto the vines, and, on hear.
ing the approach of footsteps, will run
back to escape detection. 1t will be
seen, therefore, that our farmers have
no common enemy to deal with. Mr..
Heckers condemnation of Paris green
has the emphatic Endorsement of the
Wayne County Agricultural Society,
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 po-
tato crop OF the Northwest is in immi-
nent danger and it is difficult to real
ize what serious blow its loss would
inhict. With many of the laboring
classes this esculent is the ''statf of life,
and its absence for single year would
entail almost as great distress as the
failure OF wheat itself. Even in COM
mercial point of view, this Colorado Wis
itor is likely to prove more troublesome
and costly than all the savages on the
frontier. In 1869, the five States OF Hi
nos. Indiana, Ohio, Michigan and Wis
consin produced 81, 10000 bushels OF
potatoes, valued in the aggregate at
Sl5,O00,000. Michigan alone produced
100000 bushels, valued at 81, 900
and the product of 1871 would doubt
less have been still greater. A potato
famine such as is threatened would be
severely felt by all classes of the com
munity, and whatever is done TO avert
ii must be done at once. There is NJ
substitute for the potato, unless 1t be
rice. which forms q comparatively mea
ger and impoverishing diet.-Detrot
Peu.
tuhor,s pocuIiaritips