Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1896-08-13
THE CITIZEN
Potato Bugs Versus Army Worms

Cosmus Eckenrode, of Pike twp BeTks
county, says the Philadelphia Press, gives
the details of most extraordinary occur
renee which happened upon his farm. Nj.
Hckenrode has potato patch OF about an
acre and one half near the western line OF
his farm. This place was so infested with
potato bugs that, several weeks ago, he
gave up any hopes of having crop, and
allowed the bugs TO have their own way.
In spite of their number, however, they
had not succeeded entirely in eating up
the rapidly growing vines. In the latter
part OF last week the army worms invaded
| the farm of his neighbor, and by Sunday
| the worms were crossing over into Ecken-
rod. land. Early Sunday morning Ecken-
rode went out to observe the progress OF
| the pests, and in doing so came to the po-
| tato patch. He found potato bugs assem-
| bled in countless thousands on the edge Of
| the patch nearest to his neiPhboI's land
and facing the direction from which the
army worms were coming.
| When Eckenrode first came to the pota-
TO patch the advance guard OF the worms
| were arriving As soon Gs worm would
come within reach of the bugs one of them
would fasten itself upon his back and be-
gin to eat him, Just "a if he were succu-
lent potato vine. The result would be that
before his wormshlp could advance yard
he would begin to writhe and wriggle IN
the agonies of DEATH and would soon be
hors de combat.
| The Torms, whose appetite is most Yo-
raoious one, appeared to be all unsuspect-
| ing of the hostile design OF the bugs, and
upon their first approach invariably at
| tempted to eat them, supposing, ho doubt,
that they were some new kind Of yegeta-
| bic, 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 Eckenrode
| watch ed this curious battle with interest
| IL short TINA 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
| apparently numberless, and as fast as the
| army worms came on they were attacked
and killed in the way before described.
Sometimes, when there was an unusual
rash, sort of Pickett's charge as it were,
| the inflow of the worms would advance for
q gard 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 a rate that within a few
hours strip of ground about ten feet wide
along the edgo of the potato patch was
covered t. an average of foot in depth
| with dead worms.
Ia the meantime the nelghbors for quite
a distance around had heard Of this uu-
| ique battle and had assembled TO watch it.
From early morning until late in the af-
| ternoon it kept up, when not only did the
| advancing army ofworms begin to thin out
| but toe barrier raised by the dead bodies
| of their companions prevented further ad-
val ce III that direction. Then by some
DrJ of an apparent understanding among
| them, the worms changed the direction of
| their march and ceased to advance upon
the defense of the bugs. The latter short
ly after this took place scattered back
among the potato vines and resumed their
usual work thereon.
There was to all appearances but few
casualties among the bugs, although many
of them ere canght in the crush Of the
advancing worms and smothered TO death
Mr. Eckenrode estimates that the dead
worms will weigh probably eight tons. He
intends to use them Tor fertilizing purFo
ses