The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1877-08-08
q POTATO CROP.

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THE POTATO CROP.
The farmers who planted no pota.
toes. except a row or two in their
gardens this season, being discour'
sgad by the "bugs- Of 1876. made a
serious mistake, az potatoes viii sell
for . good price in the fall. owing to
SO few being planted and many lar
mers viii have to bay all that their
families consume land who can live
without potatoes p when they might
have grown o splendid crop. If they
had shown a little spirit and persua-
sion in overcoming the bugs. My
rule through lie has been to ".fghf
AZ ouf.n no matter what happened,
TO the bitter end !" and last spring l
was advised to plant no potatoes by
nv family ; bat / planted more than
usual, as l had an idea that either
the bugs or myself would have to
surrender. Well, / had scouts out
watching for the enemy every day ;
and it was not long before | was
warned of their approach. 50 | sum
moned my forces, and gave the or
ders for an immediate attack in front.
flank and rear VIZ took every bug
captive, and thrust him into q tin pan,
then we went to q place suitable for
their execution. where they soon
went to a bourne whence no potato
bugs ever return. Then we rested
op our arms for two weeks, when n
morning the scouts reported that the
enemy had appeared again, being
Hyoung recruits which we soon rem
dered hors du combat, by a charge of
Paris green and water. The seas
on's experience has proved that ifthe
bugs that first appear. the old stock.
are picked from the vines by hand
and killed, at the same time destroy
ing what eggs may have been laid.
the danger of the potatoes being
much injured is over, - in is the old
stock which comes out of the ground
that is the origin of all the bugs, and
when they are destroyed before they
lay many eggs, no great damage viii
be done but they must be destroyed
as SOON as they appear, and all farm
ers must act in concert, and the bugs
will soon be eradicated.
-
OIL FOR PEAR BLIGHT.
The Rural Home says: "A year
ago we have some accounts of exper-
iments, by d. P. Westcott of this
CITY, 10 treating blighted pear trees
with linseed oil. He had, in The lat
ter part of the previous year, washed
several pear trees which had CON-
menced b,ightipg with raw linseed oil.
and the spread of the blight seemed
70 hare been arrested, and the trees
had then put forth their foliage
which appeared perfectly healthy.
We felt a little anxious to know
whether those trees entirely recover.
ed, or whether in the n of last
season they suecumbed. So yester-
day, June lst, We visited the grounds
and found the trees perfectly healthy
aud making a vigorous growth OF
new wood. You can see upon the
trunks, and some of the branches, the
dead, blsckened exterior bark, show
ing the effects Of the blight, two
years since bat not q leaf indicates
that any remnant of the disease re-
mains. We took a knife and cutting
through the dead bark, found the iu.
ner bark green and sound. We think
that these results are sufficient to
warrant further trial Of the remedy,
as it is easily applied and seems to do
the trees no injury"
SHADE YOUR GRAPES
Don't remove the leaves to let the
sun to your grapes, as the more the
| clusters are shaded the better the
fruit win be. The idea that grapes
will ripen better ifexposed to the rays
of sun at this season Of the year was
originally promulgated in the papers
by men who did not understand what
they were writing about, as one
could hardly do n greater injury TO