The evening world., 1889-05-29
A POTATO BUG OKLAHOMA.
swARMs OF THE LITTLE PESTS INVADE
THE CITY OF CHURCHES.

Chickens Are the Only One. tn Front nv m.
III Wind and They Make Gluttop. nj
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS House wives Prn,-
ing Tor ReIief-A Novel Plan 20 get Rid
OF the Bugs.
Brooklyn is in great distress-at least the
upper wards of this quiet town. Millions of
potato bugs have overrun the place, as if it
were the Oklahoma of their young dreams.
The potato bug is not a solitary little beast.
IL nils its young heart with joy almost to
bursting to find itself in a quiet little gath
ering of a billion or two of its friends.
The potato bug is gregarious. in a word.
when he moves there is a square mile of him
in motion. The object of his existence seems
to be the destruction of the potato.
II the British Government were a deem
Machiavelli of a government it would import
several tons of the little beasts into reland
ana destroy the potato vines, and, IN cident-
ally, the llish nation. But this is too subtle
a scheme for the Empire of Great Britain.
Why the bugs should have deserted the
pleasant stretch of Long Island farms, when
their tuvorite article of diet was Just putting
Its head above ground, it il hard to imagine.
Rural as Brooklyn is its bitterest enemy
would hesitate to call it the fayorite abode of
the potato plant.
And yet the dear little bugs are crawling
all over the upper and outlying wards Of
Brooklyn. They invaded the town in the
neighbOrhood of Harry Adams's place in the
Twenty sixth Ward. Mr.. Adams is County
Treasurer.
There is nothing distasteful in the appear
ance OF the potato bug. IL he did not masti-
cate the gentle potato plant he would not do
amy very great harm, because he doesn't bite,
nor bark, nor whistle. He is as quiet ms the
ghost OF a deaf-mute; but he gets there Just
the same.
Tn chief objection to the animal is that he
comes so tumultuously. When a heavy No.
il shoe falls thoughtlessly down on the potato
bug he is mashed. and he is not pleasant to
have around in great quantities when
mashed.
They have come to Brooklyn. however, and
there IL nothing SO lowly or SO humble that
they disdain It. Every architectural detall
they seem to think decorated and improved
by their presence.
They swarm in the streets, the cluster on
the sidewalks, they organize professions up
the front steps of the houses, forage through
the Kitchen, have picnics in the parlors,
camp. out in the bedrooms, play h~ide-and-g go
seek in the attics. %tOboggan on the roofs and
the signal-corps climb the l~ightnIng-rods to
see II the last of the forces have left the back
country
The Brooklyn housewife and every Brook.
lyn woman is a mouse wife-is at her wits end
to eXterminate them. When the potato bus
lnvades the potato field, the Opulent farmer
trpntR the yillnG IN Paris UrecO aud the Visit
inc hno. co,ne in 20, son,s oS tbe 1root MI
kind Of n free lunch does not acre. Nth ths
inferior strnctnres of The festive l;ttie rnm;
Some of the natives of Rrooklvn have
| chickens Chickens love notetn bngs Wher
n shanghai sees one of the little round -shoni
dered cIssas With bia yelIoU and Hal
strined .blazern IN he almost trims owe,
himself in his hurry 70 aet Of ~ C,nrR' IN,
r]Inttenonss nan Of The iii and the notato bme
Is zone
Now in this late distribution. IF bugs in
Rrooklvn the chicl,ens have Sbown tbem
selves sncb insat;ahla elnttons that many NJ
such high living did not agree with tn,