Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1897-08-07

gram. FOF TuSG tucIc are GWO IOuO-
dies. One is to soak the grain, before
planting, in water heated to from 125
to 1872 degrees. 1t should be kept in
the water for about ten minutes. The
other is to treat with bluestone. Use
pound of bluestone to "a gallons of
water, and soak the wheat in the solu-
ton for "a hours.
In reference to pear and apple blight,
etc., DR.. Anderson said they were
caused also by lower forms of bacteria.
The only remedy was to cut off the
blighted branches several inches below
the disease and burn the part cut off.
Otherwise, the disease would be COM
municated back or to other trees. One
remedy for potato scrab was to roll in
sulphur; and still another was to use
a solution of corrosive sublimate in
l 900 parts of water by weight.
Asked as to the cause of rust on
cotton, DIR. Anderson said he did not
know; but thought it to be due either
to a physical defect in the plant itself,
or something lacking in the soil.
Leaving the subject of plants here,
DR.. Anderson began to talk of insects.
He first discussed the potato bug.
This bug, he said, burrowed into the
earth in the fall of the year and de-
posted its eggs in the spring. The
bugs were at first black. They then
became red. 1t is the young bugs
which do the damage. They at once
begin to feed on the plants and con-
tinue to do so for about two weeks,
when they burrow into the earth and
begin laying a new crop of eggs.
At this point, the doctor was asked
by DR.. J. B. Allison why it was that
potato-bugs would ravage patch of
potatoes one year, and probably the
next year, although potatoes were
grown in the same place, no bugs were
to be seen.
"I have never known that to occur"
said DR.. Anderson.
DR.. Allison gave assurance that q
case in point had come under his OBJ
seryation.
"Did you notice any lady-bugs?"
asked DR.. Anderson.
DR.. Allison said that lady-bugs had
been seen in the patch, and DR.. Ander-
son went on to say that the lady-bug
was natural enemy of the potato and
also to the chinch-bug. After the po-
tato bug-becomes numerous, the lady
bug generally finds it out, and beg ins
to feed on the eggs. This, he thought,
might explain the absence of the pota-
to-bugs as described by DR.. Allison.
Next, DR.. Anderson took up the
chinch-bug. He was thoroughly ia.
miliar with it, he said. He was raised
in a chinch-bug country, and could re-
member one year when these insects
destroyed the wheat crop of a whole
county. The ruin was so complete
that the farmers set fire to the fields
of straw and quit raising wheat. 1t
seemed at first that the country was
ruined; but the calamity after
ward proved to be a blessing in dis
guise. The people were forced to di-
versify their crops and pay more at
tention to the raising of live stock,
and is now more prosperous than ever.
The chinch-bug, he continued, get
ting back 70 the subject, is really not
a bug. The potato-bug has jaws and
eats. The chinch-bug does not be-
long to that class. He sucks, and is
classed with the bed-bug and flea. The
chinch-bug, along with other insects,
passes through metamorphosis. From
the larva he becomes a worm; then
he gets wings. He usually deposits
eggs in the ground around the roots
of plants which are afterward to be-
come his prey. The eggs hatch out
red. The young chinch-bug then be-
comes black, and in the third stage he
gets wings, and is distinguished by two
white spots and a peculiar smell.
There are several remedies for
chinch-bugs but none of them alto
gether satisfactory. For one thing,
this pest has s. choice of foods. He
prefers wheat or barley. Then, next,
he will take corn, and next oats. Now
if you have wheat and oats together,
they will attack the wheat and leave
the oats. Then you will let the wheat
60 and harvest the crop that is left.
In this way, also, you can secure a
corn crop. Though confess do not
know much about the chinch-bug in
this country. 1t may be that he will at
tack the corn as soon as it comes up
in the spring.
One of the best preventives is to
burn in the spring, just as the chinch-
bug begins 10 move, all the hedges,
rubbish and grass. In this way a great
many of the bugs will be killed but
it is important that the burning be done
at exactly the right time-just as the
bugs begin to fly. Another remedy is
to plow a deep furrow between wheat
and corn. Fill the furrow with straw
and pour over it tar. The.bugs will
be caught in the trench in large num-
bers and they may then be burned.
Before the bugs begin to fly they travel
very slowly, especially if the weather
is damp. For instance, where it would
take them only one day to cross road
that is dusty, they could not cross the
same road in 10 days if it were not
dusty.