Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1878-05-21


written concerning this troublesome insect,
since its appearance among us. Starting,
as they did, from the Rocky mountains,
with steady march through Colorado
and Kansas, thence their name, Colorado
beetle,) never hating until they reached
the Atlantic coast, they if not already,
may yet, perhaps,
Pass DER the bounding pillows
OF the great abyss
And give old johnny Bull
Rocky Mountain kiss.
Now, it becomes grave question among
us farmers what use We can make OF them,
if any. If not, what is the best method
we can adopt to get along with them
some have told us the use of Paris green
is the only sure remedy, others say they
prefer hand picking. and have still anoth-
er remedy, which | prefer One year ago
last spring, the beetle first made its APP
pearance in my neighborhood. | accord
ingly thought would adopt the first Civ
en- remedy, so Immediately sent and bough
a pound of Paris green, but no bugs came
until late in August. and my potatoes be-
ing Early Rose and so far advanced, they
did no perceptible injury, as the crop
yielded two hundred bushels Of we'll sort
cd potatoes on one acre Of land. Now,
the question arises, why did not have
the hrst crop Of bugs ? The answer is sim
ply this: Because planted my potatoes
late; and here let us examine the nature
and habits Of the bug. He is now bound
in frost, or below it, but when the spring
time has come, and the SUI, in performing
its revolution, has risen high enough in
the heavens to unlock the earth from Its
frost bound slumbers and wake 1t from It's
winters nap, he will then come forth
with MS ten lines upon his back, looking
as fat and sleek as when he laid himself
away in the autumn We see them now
in multitudcs crawling at our feet; We
stoop down, perhaps, and touch one with
the tip of our fingers, he Immediately stops
and refuses to 20. His wings appear stiff
upon his back as though unable to fly but,
when night comes and We are fast in our
slumbers, they flap their wings and fly
hither aud thither. Nature Is now pre-
pairing them to obey her laws. Will they
do it? Will a tree when walked from Its
winters nap aud warmed into life again
refuse to bud. and leaf, and blossom, and
bear fruit 10 its time? What always was
NAV ever be
The lesson then learned is this: That
the Colorado beetle produces two distinct
crops of It's species, in our New England
climate, in one season. The eggs for the
6rs, crop are laid somewhere from the mid
die of May 10 the fore part Of June, re-
curing somewhere from ten to twenty
DAYS. and then their work Is done. As
the eggs cannot Ay-neither can the larva
they will be obliged to remain where
they are. 1t then appears that potatoes
planted the last OF May or hrst OF juno
will be almost entirely exempt from them.
say almost, because there are always
some things out of their season from some
cause or other Last spring, | planted
one and one.iourth acres Of potatoes the
first day of June. and only twenty hills on
the whole field had the larva produced on
them, aud of those, from two to four hills
were together, showing that not more than
half dozen bugs visited my field. \
blast came upon my field in August, be-
fore the potatoes were fully grown, and
cut short my crop, so that l harvested
only one hundred and eighty-fve bushels
on the acre and quarter The bugs
came the same time of the blast to lay
the eggs for their second crop, but all was
over. One Of my neighbors, who always
plants a piece OF potatoes early, and an
other piece late, once said to me,that three
times out of four his late planted ones did
the best. will add that late planting
Is security against the ravages Of both the
Colorado beetle and the small striped
bug.
And now, Mr. Editor. believe what |
have written is mainly correct Those
living farther north or south may need to
vary their time for planting according to
their season, or as TO the time the bugs
make their appearance These observa-
tions have been made from the point where
reside, viz: in the north part of Wor-
cester county If any one doubts what |
have written, the time will soon come when
they can bring it to test
\. X. LORD.
To-,,lo.o, NJ, l., 81 1873