Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1873-08-13
agricultural.
Food for Insects.

Whenever people ask whether this o.
that tree is free from rms, y says II
Meehsn in the Philadelphia Press. 'thel
forget the wonderful adaptablity of nature
The il stinct of SELL preservation is create.
than taste That an insect will prefer 8
certain kind of TODD is natural enough. We
all have this fas ion. 1t is not a peculi.
power but when We TAIL to get just what
we ike we take to the next hest. and inSec5-
d. the same Yet in most cities we have pc
riodc 'spelis' of trouble SIth certain trees
Years ago Philadelphians supposed the En-
gish lindens bred the worms and in a !.
the squares, and in many private places, fin,
SPECIMENS tell bef re the gardeners, or a.
some say, the tree carpenter axe. But the
w rms were MT to be checked so easily.
They took to the NAPLES, and then We heard
also that the maple was no longer adapted to
street purposes.
4" Then there are some who believe that
insecfs never attack vegetation till it becomes
dlseased-that they act the part of carr,"i.
crows, and merely hurry out Of SIGHT whtr
nature has doomed already-but as all birds
are not vultures or buzz rd-, no more are al
insects. Some are, and this is as far as the
truth goes.
"The fact is most insects will eat anythinE
After their FIST choice is gone they don +
stand long Oh preferences, but 90 to he next
The much dreaded G ,loraip potato beetle Is
giving us a lesson OF this kind. Manv have
been comforting thems Ives that they don't
grow potatoes and it is not of much interes
to them beyond the price increased price-
they will have to pay for the lazy root,
whether it visits US here in the east or not :;
bu. it appears that If there be no ,tatoes il
-
though il has generally been supposed to BE
strickly salanaceous insect, if not exactly
devoted to the potato branch alone. But We
STE by the American Naturalist, just received
that when the potato is goue it will % to
anything.
mir. Henry Gilman, of Detroit, an excl
lent botanist and good observer, has place,
on record that when they had consumed al
the Potatoes they went to the common lane,
thistle, pigweed, hedge mustard, comm
oats, smartweed, red currant, tomato, 90, Sc
fUut OF lambsquarters, and even the usual '
POISONOUS helieboro. This is pretty goo,
LIST, and varied. and shows the voracioue
character of the mo- ster about as well a.
anything We can say. Mr.. Gilman seems ~.
emlnently ,ractlcal as well as philosopher
man. As it seems. according to western re
ports. that whatever is attacked by the Go :
oIado potato beetle is doomed to eternal de-
structIOn, he proposes to grin and be + VIVA
cannot lie avoided. and TO turn To good use,
evils that cannot be remedIed. 10 this So iri
oil making a virtue of necessity, he prutms ?
to cUlonize land rendered useless BY tie Gun
o la thistle wi this potato bug, and by thu,
Con rontng the great thi-te tIoub es, enu
them. But, alas Mr.. Gilman dues not loot
lar enou- b for after the VI, at striped enein,
has oevOured aud DESTROYED the thleules, wht /,
does our Eh.losophIc 'riend propose 10 plan
for them next? There is an emlnently con
tinted and patient tanner of Central New
York, who. finding lie cannot rid ti.nseIi u
the thistle, has WRIT. n in praise OF 1t. Tha
New version Of the old story of the Fox ant
the Grapes is especially entertaining. Ga
friend prefers it to any kind OF getation f,
hay or c'tse-'eeding purposes. When youn.
Is nutritious, deliclou-; and 1t was pro-
pitt Us circumstance when nature sent / t,
New York to replace the loss OF other things
I'VE sta *, ect 20 hear on from tn
gentleman. He wi IoSk On GIiman's this
tle-extermInator wi horror. To him thu
be'tle will always be a vile potato bug. aud
nothing more