The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1876-06-17
The Potato Beetle.

We received tbs following from The
Connecticut experiment station, by
Prof. Seely, secretary Of the Board Of
Agriculture. Az the potato bug has
already appeared, aud has commenced
his work of destruction, the matter is
of equal interest to The farmers Of Yer
mont.
A letter from Prof. Packard has just
been published by the Agricultural Ex-
pertinent Station, which may be too
long for the columns Of many papers. 1t
contains these statement
The "potato bug" may be looked for
early in June. Its eggs will he found
on the under surface of the leaves they
are bright orange.red and quite large.
The beetle Itself is roundish insect,
half an inch long. has ten black stripes
on the back, and IL redish underneath.
1t Is larger than the lady bug" which
somewhat resembles 1t. The grub is
thick, fat, and orange red in color, lives
about ten days on the leaves and stems,
after which it enters the ground to be-
come beetle. Thus nearly all the life
of the insect is passed on the plant.
The offspring of last years beetle will
begin to lay eggs in about fifty days
from the time the egg. from which It.
self sprang was deposited. Probably
not more than two crops of them will
appear in our climate, but each female
Is capable of producing more than a
thousand eggs.
The remedies are manipulating, both
of the mature beetle, the grubs, and the
eggs. They should all be burned, Par
Is green is also largely used. This is a
most deadly poison, containing arsenic.
1t Ia almost insoluble In water. 1t may
be mixed with plaster, flour, or fine
dry earth, and busted on the plants
from sitter or bellows, or applied
stirred In water, about tablespoonful
to pailful, and thrown from syringe
or sprlnkled from a watering pot. In
any case great care must be taken not
10 breath.the dust or handle with naked
hands
A number of specimens collected in
New York, are being analysed in the
laboratory Of the Station. They range
In prices from twenty-elght cents per
pound Wholesale to eighteen cents,
and contain from ten and half to for
ty-slx per cent of lnsoluble adultera-
lions. The arsenic varies from fifty
five per cent In the best 70 twenty pei
lent In the lower grades. Some are
mixtures of eoheele's green, others are
Sohweinfurth green. The former, when
pure, contains ssventy-one aud one
half per cent of arsenIous acid and
twenty-eight and one bali per cent OF
copper oxide The latter should con-
tain fifty-eight per cent arsenlous acid,
thirty one per cent copper oxide and
ten per cent acetic acid.
From these facts it appears that II
Will be most economical to hny the
best.
Ask for pure Paris green. IT will
probably cost fifty cents per pound
No time should be lost If the potato
crop Is to be saved as the beetle has mp.
peared in alarming numbers in many
parts of the state
To the above communication from
the Connecticut state Experiment Sta
ton. we append the following practical
suggestions from The American Agii.
sultnrlst for June, 1876.
The Agricultural says: Those who
wonld cultivate potatoes, must at the
same time destroy the Colorado beetle,
now generally called the potato bug"
While small patches nay be kept clear
by hand picking and brushing Off and
catching, the only practical method
thus far found with large crops, is 10
use Paris green. The beetle will no
doubt visit the few far eastern localities
that have heretofore been exempt. and
for The benefit of lnquirers from these
and other places, we recaptulate what
has been said In former years. In
buying Paris green, get the rure. Man.
ufacturers openly claim to make fonl
or five qualities. 1t Is folly to pay
them for adulteratlng it. The pure re.
tails at from forty to fifty cents pound
1t may be applied dry or mixed with
water. If dry, mix one part of pure
green with twenty parts of -four. Dc
not mix with the hands. Mix thor.
oughly. Contrlve some kind of a sitter
like dredging box, any tlnman can
make one, which can 10 attached to a
long handle. ALWAYS keep to the