The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1896-08-05
BATTLE OF THE BUGS.
SWARM OF ARMY WORMS SLAUGH.
TERED BY POTATO BEETLES.

TERED BY POTATO BEETLES.
penusylvaDia Farmers Queer Experience.
Eckenrode Has Eight Tons of the De-
strOyers He win Use Them For
Fertilizing Purposes.
Cosmus Eckenrodeof Pike township
was in Reading, Pa. the other day and
gave the details of most extraordinary
occurrence which happened upon his
farm recently. Mr. Eckenrode has
potato patch of about an acre and one
half near the western line of his farm,
adjoining the land of Samuel RENDER
dine, This place was so infected with
potato bugs that, several weeks ago, he
gave up any hopes of having a crop and
allowed the bugs to have their own way.
In spite of their numbers, however, they
had not succeeded entirely in eating up
the rapidly growing vines. In the latter
part Of last week the army worm in
vaded the farm of his neighbor, Mr..
Kenderdine, and by Sunday the worms
were crossing over into Mr.. Eckenrode's
land Early Sunday morning Mr. Eek
enrode went out to observe the progress
of the pests and in doing so came to the
potato patch. He found potato bugs as.
sembled in countless thousands on the
edge of the patch nearest to Mr.. Ken
derdine's land and facing the direction
from which the army worms were COM
ing.
When Mr.. Eckenrode first came to
the potato patch the advance guard of
the worms was arriving AS soon as
worm would come within reach of the
bugs one of them would fasten itself up
on his back and begin to eat him, just
as if he were a succulent potato vine.
The result would be that before his
wormship could advance yard he would
begin to writhe and wriggle in the ago.
MES of death and would soon be hors de
combat
The worms whose appetite is most
voracious one, appeared to be all unsus-
pecting of the hostile design of the bugs,
and upon their first approach invariably
attempted to eat them, supposing, no
doubt, that they were some new kind of
vegetable, but the hard shell Of the
bugs served as an impenetrable armor,
rendering them perfectly safe against
any weapons the worms could bring
against them.
1t is needless to say that Mr.. Ecken-
rode watched this curious battle with
intense interest In a short time after
his arrival the worms began to come by
the thousands and tens of thousands,
and the battle ragged most furiously.
The army of potato beetles was appar-
entity numberless, and as fast as the ar
my worms came on they were attacked
and killed in the way before described.
Sometimes, when there was an unusual
rush, a sort of Pickett's charge, as il
were, the inflow Of worms would adj
vance for yard or two within the line
of the bugs, but only to add their dead
bodies to the wriggling, writhing mass.
The slaughter went ON at such rate
that in a few hours a strip of ground
about 10 feet wide along the edge Of
the potato patch was covered to an av-
erage Of foot in depth with dead
worms.
In the meantime the neighbors for
quite a distance around had heard Of
this unique battle and had assembled to
watch it. From early morning until
late in the afternoon it kept up, when
not only did the advancing army worms
begin to thin out, but the barrier raised
by the dead bodies of their companions
prevented farther advancing in that di-
rection. Then by some sort of an appar-
ent understanding among them the
worms changed the direction of their
march and ceased to advance upon the
demesne of the bugs. The latter, shortly
after this took place, scattered back
again among the potato vines and re-
sumed their usual occupation thereon.
There were to all appearances bat
few casualties among the bugs, although
many of them were caught in the crush
of the advancing worms and smothered
or trampled to death.
On Monday hundreds of people from
all over Pike and adjoining townships
came to view the results of this strange
battle. Mr. Eckenrode estimates that
the dead worms will weigh probably
eight tons. He intends to use them for
fertilizing purposes. = Philadelphia
Press