The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1875-06-18
Che Rutlana Daily Globe.
FRIDAY, JUNE 1s, 1875.
ILLINOIS LETTER.
Potato Bug--Crop Prospects Weather
Grasshoppers, &c,

Potato Bug--Crop Prospects, w feather
Grasshoppers, &c.
Editor Rutland Globe While we in
Illinois are in the rear ranks Of the terrible
grasshopper scourge, (none having as yet
made their appearance east of the Missls-
sippD, so are we in the rear ranks of the
potato bug which is fast winding its way
eastward and as none of any account have
yet been seen this spring, and as this
month is the active month for the laying
of eggs, for the new crop which do the
mischief, 1t is safe to suppose that they
have passed on to Michigan and Ohio and
other eastern states.
THE POTATO BUG.
The advent of this most disastrous of all
insects on the potato, first started on its
winding way from Colorado and reached
the Missouri river in 1865. lie is slow
but sure traveller, making about 100 miles
Of new territory each year and reluctantly
yielding up about the same in its rear.
This year probably Delaware, New Jersey,
and New York, will entertain him to some
extent, and by next year New England
may as well be ready to give him welcome
for it is only a matter of time. The entom-
ologist of the United States department,
gives biography of this to be, interesting
insect, to the eastern farmer, and l will
give some of his ideas of its habits, charac-
teristics, etc. He is about one-half inch
long, oval in shape, yellowsh cream color
with dark tea brown stripes or lines run
ming down the wing-covers which con-
ceal a pretty pair OF little pinks wings. Its
reproductive powers are most wonderful,
each matron bug depositing about 200
eggs of bright yellow color, on the under
side of the leaf, which hatch IN few days
and begin to prey upon the youngest and
tenderest leaves and mature IN about three
weeks. They then take to the ground
and in about two weeks resurrect as
a beetle. They begin reproduction
in about week, and in fourteen days the
female begins TO deposit her eggs again so
that it takes about fifty days for it to go
through its several changes from egg to
egg He also estimates that pair of av-
erage energy and enterprise will produce
about G0,000,00O in one season. So you
can imagine that large results may be most
speedily expected from small causes as the
grass hopper has found a devouring en-
envy in little red bug, so too the Colorado
potato bug has its several enemies whose
main object seems to devour it. The lady
bug eats up its eggs, twelve different sorts
of plant beetles prey upon its larvae while
the l--vae of a parasitic fly preys upon it
af;er maturity and a wasp carries it off for
ii 10 It's oe-.. Now for the benefit of
say VII way IN the future be called upon
to eniar'ala ais most unwelcome visitor,
l would saggest three modes of treatment.
lst Hand picking of the old bugs who
| lay in the ground through the winter and
are found on all prominent knowls and hill
locks of dirt in the field awaiting the COM
ing time to deposit their eggs. They do
not eat, their mission being to deposit eggs
for future destines.
I'd. After the young larvae are Matched,
a thorough sprinklng of a solution of Paris
green and water about ounce to gallons
in the morning while the dew is on, or in a
damp day as the solution is retained on the
leaf better at such times.
Sd. Eternal rigilance, and this is the
most important of all, for "a hours the
start and acres are wholly destroyed, with
such rapidity, do the young larvae eat.
AS we in the far west have had our in
vasion of this pest, you in the east may ex-
pect it IN the coming 2 or 3 years. But
the eastern farmer need not think that the
moving on of the potato bug leaves the
western farmer without any pest to devour
their crops Immense damage was done
last year by the chinch bug and from all
present appearances they will continue to
devour even worse this year. In most all
English gram they are busy now in the
roots and will continue as the season ad-
vances and finally destroy large per cent.
of the crops The stand of course is quite
good and the acreage largely in excess of
last season. A severe frost visited us last
night June 10, and considerable damage
leaving but 2 more months in this year 10
escape frost. The weather is cool but
more opportune iains than for the past
or 3 years at this season and the former
may expect fair return for his labors.
Oats are selling at 60 cents, corn IS and
wheat at $1.0O per bushel. NJ. c. p.
| Wheaton June IA, 1875.