The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1898-08-27
BUGS AMI MUkMS.


XII "a @ M
sCospus Ectpnrode, Of Pike township,
was in Reading the other day. and gave
tke detailssef most extraordinary &C.
c9rrencc which happened upon his farm
recently. Mr.. Eckenrode has potato
patch OF about, an acf6sAnd half near
the western lire of his farm, adtoining
the land of Samuel Kenderdine. This
place was SO infested with potato bugs
that several weeks age, he gave up Any
hope of having a crop, and he allowed
the bugs to have THAR own way. In
spite OF their numbers, however, they
had not succeeded entirely in eating up
the rapidly growing zines. The army
worms invaded the farm of his neigh
bor. Mr.. Kenderdine. and CROSSED over
into Mr.. Eckenrodc's land. Mr.. Ecken-
rode went out to observe the progress of
tho 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 MIR.
kenderdine's land. and facing the di-
rection from which the army worms
were coming.
+ When Mr.. Eckenrode first came to the
potato Iatch 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
- il he were succulent potato vine.
The result would be that before liis
wormship could advance yard he
would begin 10 writhe and wiggle in the
agonies of death, and would soon be
hors de combat
The worms. whose appetite is most
voracious one, appeared to be all nm
| suspecting of the design of the bugs,
| and upoi: their frst approach invaria-
bly, 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 ar1nor,
rendered them perfectly safe against
any weapons the worms could bring
against them. {s
| It is needless to say that Mr.. Ecken-
rode watched this curious battle with
| intense interest. In I short time after
his arrival the worms began to come l,y
1 kuS lXlOuSdllOS 04u tN4Ao Va SASN~~AA~'~s
and the battle ragged most furious!y.
The army of potato beetles was appar-
entity numberless. and as fast as the
army wormscame on they were attacked
and killed in the way before described.
Sometimes when there was an unusual
rush, sort of Pickett's charge, as II
were. the inflow of worms would ad-
vance for yard or two within the llne
of the bugs, but only to add their dead
bodies to the wriggling. writing mnss
The slaughter went on at such rate
that in a few hours a strip of ground
| about ten feet wide along the edge OF
the potato patch was covered to an aver
| age of foot in depth with dead worms
In the meantime the neighbors 1o1
quite distance around had heard OF
this unique battle and had assembled &c
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 scme sort OF An ap'
parent understanding among them
| the worms changed the direction ci
their march and ceased to advance Up
! on the 1lemesne of the bugs. The latter
shortly after this took place, scatterte
back among the potato vines and re-
sumed their usual occupation thereon
There were to all appearances eh'
few casualties among the bugs NJ
though many OF them were caught II
the crush of the advancing worms nnc
smothered or trampled to death.
One day lately hundreds OF peopl'
from all over Pike and adjoining tow u
ships came to view the results OF tni!
strange battle. Mr.. Eckenrode effi
mates that the dead worms will pron'
bly weigh eight tons. He intends to ',ss
/ them for fertilizing purposes.-Ph'ia
deiphia Press.
l o. AAe0nnt.