The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1897-12-23
BUGS AND WORMS.
A Novel Battle Waged Between
Noxious Insects.
Hordes of Potato Beetles Make an On
slaught Upon Invading Army Worms
and the Battle Lasts
for Hours.

anu the bhttie hbstu
for Hours.
Cosmus Eckenrode, of Pike township,
was in Reading the other day. and gave
the details of a most extraordinary &C.
currencc which happened upon his farm
recently. Mr.. Eckenrode has potato
patch of about an acre and half near
the western line of his farm, adjoining
the land of Samuel kenderdine. This
place was so infested with potato bugs
that several weeks ago he gave up any
hope of having a crop, and he 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. The army
worms invaded the farm of his neigh
Dor, Mr.. Keuderdinc, and crossed over
into Mr.. Eckcnrode's land. Mr.. Ecken-
rode went out TO observe the progress of
the pests, and in doing SO came to the
potato Patch. He found potato bugs
assembled in countless thousands ON
the edge of the patch nearest to Mr..
kenderdine's land, and facing the di-
rcction from which the army worms
were coming.
When Mr. Eckenrode first came to the
potato ratch the advance guard of the
worms were arriving. AS soon as a
worm would come within reach of the
bugs one of them would fasten itself
upon 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 wirgle in the
aronics OF death, and would soon be
hors de combat.
The worms, whose appetite is most
yoracious one, appeared TO he all un-
suspccting of the design of the bugs,
and upoH their first approach invaria-
| bly, attempted to eat them, supposiug,
no doubt, that they were some new kind
of vegetable, but the hard shell of the
| bugs served as an impenetrable armor,
rendered them perfectly safe against
| any weapons the worms could bring
against them.
It is needless to say that Mr.. Eckcn
rode watched this curious battle with
intense interest. In 4 short time after
his arrival the worms began to come 10y
the thousands and tens of thousands.
and the battle ragged most furions!y.
The army of potato beetles was appar-
emily numbcrless, and as fast as the
armywoimscame on they were attacked
and killed in the way before described.
Sometimes when there was an unusual
rush, sort of pickett's charge, as 1T
were, the inflow of worms would ad-
vance for yard or two within the line
of the bugs, but only to add their dead
bodies to the wriggling, writing mass.
The slaughter went on at such rate
that in few hours strip of ground
about ten feet wide along the edge of
the potato patch was covered to an aver
age Of a 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 further advancing in that
direction. Then, by sCmc sort of an APP
pau tHI hli'I hliIOIIE Wv me-
the worms changed the direction of
their march and ceased to advance up
on the dcmesne Of the bugs. The latter,
shortly after this took place, scattered
back among the potato vines and re-
sumcd their usual occupation thereon.
There were to all appearances but
few casualties among the bugs, al
though many of them We're caught in
the crush of the advancing worms and
smothered or trampled to death.
One day lately hundreds of people
from all over Pike and adjoining town
ships came to view the results of this
strange battle. Mr.. Eckenrode esti-
mates that the dead worms will proha-
bly weigh eight tons. He intends to use
them for fertilzing purposes.-Phila-
delphia Press.