The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1875-06-10
Colorado Potato Beetle.
| From the forthcoming Report OF the State Agricl
tural Board oil Michignn.l

|
If any one should doubt that this
late conner among our pests takes
first rank as an enemy to our field
crops, he would only need to glance
at the market columns of any of our
journals to become speedily con-
WINGED of his error. What signi-
fies the fact that potatoes are quoted,
and have been for the last two or
three years, even in the rural jour
nails, at 81 and upwards per bushcl,
unless it means, that the potato
beetle is fast converting a common
article of diet into luxury? Nay,
more, it asserts that even known
remedies are slow of application.
Though in this case we have a
very cheap and perfectly effective
remedy, still, actual observation and
the high price ofpotatoes prove that
barely half our farmers make use of
it. There can be no doubt that
should this article induce all our
farmers "to fight the potato-bectlc
by the most approved method" it
would add at least 100000 to the
wealth of our state the coming year.
HISTORY.
The history of this beetle, that it is
a native of Colorado, where it was
discovered, named, and described by
Say, many years ago; how Oh
bridge of potato vines it infested our
western states less than score of
years since, and from thence spread
rapidly eastward, till now it has
actually gained our Atlantic coast,
where it only awaits opportunity to
take passage for Europe, where it
willcontinuc its dreaded ravagcs in
the green fields of the Emerald
Islc,- all this is already well
known.
NATURAL HISTORY.
The natural history of the potato
beetle is also familiar to most of
our farmers. 1t comes forth out
of the earth, as beetle, just as the
potato vines arc peering from the
ground. Sometimes as the crca-
turc stands over the hill it seems
fairly to grin in cxpectant longing,
for the rich, tender feast which
nature is about to spread. With
the coming of warm days the female
lays her clusters of orange eggs
sometimes to the number of
thousand,-a single beetle which l
confined laid over eleven numbered
eggs,-either OH the under side of
the leaves of the potato vines, or
on blades of grass or on other
vegetables near by.
These soon hatch, when the young
or larvae are found to eat quite as
voraciously as the mature beetle.
In about fifteen days the young
become fully developed, when they
pass into the groud to pupatc.
After about ten days ofsuch quiet
they come forth in the beetle state,
and from their freshness it might
be thought that the old-timc beetles
had been absent to get a new suit,
and had just returned to show their
fincry.
These beetles, with their bright
bands of yellow and black, mate,
deposit eggs, and soon die, be-
having as before. So too the
larvae and pupa. These again are
followed by third brood, which
completes the ruinous work for the
season; but the pupn of this last
brood do not come forth in ten days,
nor do they die, but, resting quietly
beneath the earth, seem to be
gathering strength for miserable
repetition of the previous years
abomination.
WILL THEY REMAIN WITH Us?.
1t is hoped by many that these
incorrigiblc pests will not be long
among us, reasoning from analogy,
as many insects like the lIessian
fly have been quito as destructive
for time, and then have almost
entirely vanished. We may rca-
sonably hope that the insect en-
emics of this beetle, which arc
rapidly increasing, will lessen its
yearly; but that we shall
ever be rid of it is reckoning with
out our host. 1t will probably re-
main with us for all time, though
as its natural enemies become more
they will doubtless hold
it in check, so that some years the
evil will be very slight. Still, it is
safe to conclude that we shall have to
be ever ready to give it battle, and
well may we be grateful that such
efficient weapons are at our COM
mand.
REMEDIES.
Inasmuch as Paris green is so
practical, so efficient, and so cheap
a remedy for this pest, l shall in
this place do what every farmer had
better do on his FARM ignore all
other means, such as hand-pick-
ing, machinery, etc., as too ex-
pensive and not sufficiently thor
Ough. With n lttl care, Paris
green the genuine article of
course is entirely safe, and We
may well welcome the change of
it's use from our beautiful green
tinted Wallpapers, where its pois-
onous cxhalations have long gen
dcrcd disease and death, to the
richer green of our potato-fclds.
The two methods which have