The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1877-07-05
POTATOES ANo rne rxK % rAnIs
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This we are 10, prepared 10 Do out Of
consideration Of The ignorant and fool.
ish whlms o. persons who object 10 the
use of poisonous substance wberewiih
to extermlna;c these uoxioss insects.
Those who object 10 the use OF Paris
green Src totally ignorant Of the fact thai
farmers are using poisonous fertilters,
such chloride OF potassium, nitrate Of
soda, aud other chemical compounds by
hundreds Of tons, and that over 1900 tons
Of Paris green have been used 10 one
year ia the western states years ago, be-
fore we IN the east knew the Colorado
beetle By sight Yet we never hear, or
have heard, OF case OF accidental poison
ing OF a farmer, or In a farmers family,
nor OF any injury TO any individual by
eating potatoes that have been dressed
with Paris green. The fact Is, If every
farmer in the country would let no beetle
escape this year, We should extermlnate
the pest Bat II any, fearful Of danger
through stupid, ignorant, and ill-advised
advice, fail to kill or the beetles, sup.
ply is left for another year, whose pro-
geny will rayage the country again.
Therefore il Is worth while to repeat that
there is no danger TO tho potatoes, aud
certainly none TO those farmers who nse
the Paris.green; for II thousands OF fpsint-
ers use this substance as a color yearly
with safety, why may not others handle
II with equal ssiety? The following ar
ticle from the Rural Nen Yorker puts
this matter in this same proper light:
ut is alwaydamusing TO see man who
is high up in one branch of science try
ing TO appear 10 be equally proficient in
all others; for 90 times out of 100 he will
show his ignorance IN the first sentence
he utters, while totally obliyious to the
fact himself Here is case In point
Mr.. Dana Hayes, state assayer of Massa-
chuselts, writes 10 tho Boston Journal q
letter protesting against the use of Paris
green for poisoning the Colorado potato
beetle, commencing it by saying; Win
you oblige me by publishing these few
lines on Paris green for potato bugs, in
reply to several correspondents
Now we might excuse the ordinary
farmer, or other unscientilc person, for
calling the insect in question bug but
a man holding so responsible an Office as
state assayer' should know better or
else not attempt TO dabble in entomolo-
gy. II Mr.. Hayes will get some cbild's
book on entomology and read It he may
learn that the Colorado potato beetle
(Chrysomela l0.tiaedta) belongs to the
order Coteopterd, aud not TO Hemiptera,
where we ilnd the true bugs; aud the
insects Of these two orders are not quite
so nearly related as goose Is TO turkey
buzzard.
After admitting that Paris green has
been extensively used in the west for
killing this pest, without any recognized
injurious effects upon the potato, or on
the person using the tubers, he tries to
alarm eastern people by saying:
Nevertheless, the danger is much too
great to permit its use by New England
farmers. 1t is not known that the arsenic
or copper is absorbed by the plants. They
may be, but assuming that they are not ;
then the danger attending the common
mode of digging and gathering potatoes,
from the adhesion of particles of the poi
son, in a soil upon which II has been
scattered; the danger in distributing IL
and in placing it 10 the hands Of the
workmen; and the danger TO animals,
such as poultry, sheep, hogs, and even
dogs, who may venture into the fields.
make only part of list Of the dangers
that may be readily brought to mind,
Aud when we add TO this that the effects
of metallic poisoning may not be OBJ
4 served for months-or years, ia some
cases--there is certainly reason for say.
1 ing that the indiscrimiuate use Of Paris
7 9lCtu ph thtfb ptahiS may uV uOlS 'ishe'
lrons IN is results than the loss OF severa
crop Of potatoes. ! cannot suggest any
harmless chemical agent that will drive
of the bugs bnt 10 not use metallic
poison
Now, this same Kind OF nonsense hai
4 teen repeated over aud over again b,
pet.ons who seem 20 know nothing o
the fact that Paris green, soon after com
ing in contact with the soil, loses its poi
sonous properties, and Il about As harm
less as SO much sand. IL is certainly trul
that care should be exercised in handling
or keeping snch virulent poison abou
ones premises but il is folly 10 tall
either Of lis injuriDg the tubers or poison
lug the land upon which II Is applied.
Then, again, Mr.. Hayes hints that W.
had better suffer the loss OF several crop
Of potatoes, than to use metallic poisoi
like Paris green. BY this, we suppose
be means that If the farmers Of New
England only cease raising potatoes for
few years the beetles Will be starved out, al
OF which shows his ignorance Of the hab
lie Of this insect, as well as OF the plant
which Il infests. The facts Of the cas-
are simply these We have given il ia
common name Of potato beetle because
, appears 10 prefer the cultivated 10 tb
other kinds Of plauts; but II it eanno
find potato leaves Il will take to some
thing else, for there are ut least over .
different species Of plants upon which
.is known to have lived, without snfierin
, any particular Inconvenience,
Il has probably lived aud multiple
on the Western plains for thousands {
years before the introduction ofour Gu
iiyated potatoes, aud although preferripl