The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1889-01-29
KILLING POTATO BUGS.

The Ingenious Device Invented nv a Prac-
cal Ohio Farmer.
May be your farmer audience can
listen TO me while tell how | get rid
of the potato beetle Three years ago
got tired of trying to brush them off
into pans, buckets, etc, and | fell
upon the following plan. 1t is said
that most of our labor-saving inven-
tions came from the brain of some one
who was too lazy to work, and got out
OF it by making a stick. or a wheel. or
some device to do the work for him.
Be that as it may, hire is description
of my new bug machine: | took the
wheels from a superannuated corn
planter, and placed the spindles on
each end of an axle six feet long, or so
that the tracks of the wheels would be
six feet apart. (ShOuld potatoes he
planted closer or wider this would
have to be varied TO sui. | plant
three feet apart) On this axle is
bolted solidly two thills or shafts.
These may be of nice poles, this MAX
ing a cart for one horse. Some boards
are placed across these shafts over the
axle. Then we took two coal oil bar
rels; bored two holes in one end OF
each. 60 :}:at We could insert a small
saw blade. and thus made an opening
in the barre! eight or ten inches
square. Then we bored "A hole as
nearly even with the inside of the
head of the other end, or bottom, OF
the barrel a. We could. To make this
hole | used 3-inch bit. | bored a
hole in a piece 0f hardwood board
with this bit, and took this board TO
the timer and got him to make a
tapering tube for each barrel that
would drive into these holes tight
from the inside and taper down to
inch at the outer end. On these tin
tubes We placed 3-inch rubber pipes,
three feet long. (We used the pipes
belonging TO our hand Or force garden
pump.) Havin" the barrels Thus pre-
pared we placed them on the cart SO
that they would balance nicely, the
center of the barrel being a little for
ward of the axle, and d barrel near
each wheel. with the tubes pointing
at an angle of about forty-tive degrees
outward from line directly back
ward. On the outer end of each OF
these rubber tubes or pipes we had a
rose to distribute the fluid.
We back the machine up to the pump,
fill each barrel within 1--WE or six inches
OF the top with water. then in a we'll
glazed crock mix the Paris green OF
London purple with water until it is
thoroughly wet, then pour it in one Of
the barrels and stsr Il little with q
long stick or board. We serve the
other barrel in the same way. TIC
hold these tubes up SO that the fluid
would not run until we wanted it, We
drove d common fence wire staple near
the top of this barrel, and in this bent
like a shepherds crook. so that as we
place the tube in the crook it has II
spring open just a little. and it then
holds the pipe nicely. Then we hitch
on the horse and start for the potato
field. The jolting of the cart keeps
the mixture in fine shape, and draw
ing from the bottom we always have
as strong as there is in the barrel al
any rate. If you have a gentle horse
that will follow the row and walk slow
ly, two persons are enough to work it.
But if your horse is not so well trained
you will need boy or man to teach
him how to walk. One man or boy Gil
is easy work. takes hold of pipe Zone
on each side) and directs the rose fol-
ward on the outside of the wheels. The
horse moves forward and the work il
rapidly, effectually and easily done
In turning at the ends one will soon
learn how to get in SO as to finish VI
lands of six rows each. We can easily
pass over an acre of potatoes in ar
hour. / have used both London pur'
pie and Paris green. The former, un
less strained through a cloth, is apt
TO have in it substances that clog the
small holes in the rose and thus con.
sumo time in cleaning as we'll as pre-.
venting good work whilst clogged. -
Cor. Ohio Farmer.