The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1877-08-16
Providing England with Colorado
Beetles,
TtundUn Letter. ]

| lbOndOn better.J
A gentleman from fexas, to begti1e
the tedium of an Atlantic voyage, is said
to have brought nearly ahundred speci-
mems of the chrysomeld decemlineata with
him to England. These, according to the
account, he fed during the voyage with
mangolds and parsnips, and finally gave
them to friend at Manchester, who put
them in his garden-a walled garden
after receiving many warnings not to let
them escape. This care ininclosing the
beetles in awalled garden evokes reminis-
cenees of the Cumberland dalesmen, who
are accused by the natives of the, STIR
rounding country with having built a
wall across their valley to prevent the es-
cape of the cuckoo and thtts secure per-
petual spring. The story may have no
foundation better than the imagination
of the Texan editor, who would naturally
enjoy the Colorado scare" now preva-
lent in England and Germany. True or
not, it points to the danger of sending
live potato-beetles by post in pill boxes
and other coverings of perishable ma
ture, the slightest accident to which
WOULD let loose a pest on the country.
The figures already published in our col
umns amply demonstrate that single
female beetle would suffice to afflict an
entire county withher pestilent offspring,
unless indeed her brood were extermi-
mated before reaching the image stage of
development.
1t appears certain that our farmers are
thoroughly aroused, and that vigorous
efforts will be made to STAMP, out" the
dreaded beetle should he, as there is too
much reason to fear he will, make his
appearance. 1t is, however, discour-
aging to find that determination is ex-
cessively difficult The work of powder
ing the potato haulm with Paris green
would be enormous, as would also be the
task of collecting the animals In the
middle season, too, the potato beetle
would be present in the larva, chrysalis
and image stages, and the difficulty of
dealing with all these at once is very great.
The process adopted at Mulheim ap-
peared heroic. Itconsisted in strewing the
fields with layer of sawdust and tan to a
depth of several inches, saturating this
with petroleum, and setting the whole on
fire. Everything above ground was de-
stroyed, as matter of course, excepting,
and this is an important exception, the
beetles, who flew away; but fresh gen
Grafton lay unhurt beneath the surface.
The application of the spade proved that
intense heat penetrates but a little way,
and that Larvae and pupe are perfectly
safe at depth of three or four inches.
1t is therefore recommended that the
earth should be plowed up into narrow
ridges, that the burrows should be lined
with tar, sawdust, peat, and the like,
flooded with petroleum, and the whole
set on fire, in order that the earth
between the burrows may be made burn
ing hot. This treatment isvigorous, and
should prove effectual; but when once es-
tablished, the terrible beetle has, it can
not be denied, a vast number of chances
in his favor. The depth to which he Oc-
casionally penetrates beneath the surface
shields him from fire and a multitude of
other enemies, and when once the female
beetle is on the wing her range of mis-
chief is wide indeed. But, on the other
hand, although advocating every precau-
tion against the introduction of this de-
structive insect, wesh0uld not absolutely
despair of future potatoes had he actually
arrived. The long wet winters common
in England are peculiarly unfavorable
to insects of his class, and the multitude
of our small birds supplies natural
and effectual defense against insect
plaques. Both in the United States and
in France the conditions ofexistence are
widely different. Small birds in the
Union are so scarce that it is only few
years since New York was driven to i'm
port sparrows fromLondon to consume the
green caterpillars, or worms" as they
were called, which made walking under
the trees almost impossible. In France
little birds are, like the American robin
who is not little, eaten upon toast, and the
curious spectacle is exhibited of a farmer
killing off little birds to fill his stewpan
and employing an army of children tC
collect and destroy the caterpillars anc
grubs which form the natural food of hii
feathered victims. In this country, de
spite large number of sparrow clubs
in the less enlightened districts, the use.
of small birds are better understood, and i
is questionable whether even the dreaded
Colorado beetle would succeed in max
ing serious headway against the farmers
reinforced by these vOracious and alert
| allies.