The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1902-05-09
BILL ARP'S LETTER
Tries 0,d-Fashioned Plan to An-
initiate Potato Bugs.
CHILDREN ARE PAID 10 GATHER THEN
Nickel Dozen ls the Price, and the
Little Ones Surprise Him.-col-
onel Readings Suggestion.

to exterminate the potato bugs. He
says begin early and watch for the
first ones that come. Make an inspec-
ton every morning and kill the large
striped ones before they lay their eggs.
My crop is about six inches high l
have six long rows in the garden and
the other morning | found the pesky
things had come. killed about thirty
aud then told the children-the grand
children l mean-that l would pay
them a nickel for every dozen bugs
they found. That evening they killed
sixty and the next morning forty, and
this morning fifteen, and this evening
ten. So the three little girls brought
me In debt sixty cents and feel rich.
The bargain is that they are to pay me
back for all find and have not found
but five yet, though | don't look very
carefully. Children like to work for
money just like grown folks. re-
member well the first half dollar
ever earned My father was clearing
land and told me l might have the
saplings II | would trim them up and
pile the brush and l might have the
wagon and team to haul them to town
and sell them. l had the evenings
after school and Saturdays to work
and soon had load ready and sold it
to our school teacher for a silver half
dnI1ar I NJ
felt Of 1t in my pocket every little
while to be sure 1t was there. l like
to reward these little chaps for 1t does
them so much good and makes them
love me. The love of an innocent
child Is the purest on earth except the
love Of a mother. I have no greater
comfort now than the glad smile Of a
little one that jumps into my arms
whenever l come. 1t flatters my van
ity, for though l am old and ugly the
little ones will hug me and pat my
wrinkled cheeks and turn away from
those who are young and handsome.
The greatest inducement for parent
to be a Christian is to secure the sal
walton Of their children and meet them
In heaven, for It is said In the scrip
lures in three places, Believe in the
Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be
saYed-thou and thine house." Sc let
the good mother not despair of her
wicked son who went unrepentant to
his death and may these words always
comfort her, thou and thine house"
For the sake of ten good people the
Lord would have saved Sodom, and for
the sake of good parents He will save
the children.
Last year my potato crop was seri-
ously damaged by these bugs, and by
the paris green, too, for used too
much of it, and so l am taking Colonel
Readings advice and killing off the
big striped beetles before they lay
their patches Of yellow eggs on the un-
der side of the leaves. l instructed
the children to look for eggs and
they found only two leaves with eggs
on them. With a little sharpened
stick they dug around the base of ev-
cry plant, and there found most of the
beetles, but l am already satisfied with
NAthe experiment, and hope that / will
not have to use paris green at all
shall continue my bargain with the
children, even If it is expensive.
overheard them plotting this evening
about going to the drug store tomor
row and buying some ice cream, and
they agreed to take two saucers
apiece. These little girls are great in
yentions, and love to watch them and
r. Illuminate and ponder why 1t was thai
children, especially boys, get more self
ish and deceitful as they grow older
The devil seems to let them alone until
they get weaned from their mother.
The good and the bad are strangely
mixed in this world. New plaques and
pestilences keep on coming, both on
animal and vegetable life, but a kind
Previdence has provided remedies and
given us minds to find them. But
have found no way to keep the pig
cons from preying on my young peas
as they peep from the ground. They
utterly destroyed my first planting
and have begun on the second. We
have had a flock for many years, and
ever knew them to trouble the garden
Before. say, Colonel Redding, wha
must I do about it? My wife says GOV
er them with brush, and l will if
can find the brush. The English spar
rows do leave us most Of the crop, bu
t.annn dnn,t leava rs ANYTHING