Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-07-02
POTATO BUG PROBLEM
BIG ONE FOR FARMERS
Whole Fields in Montgomery
County Have Been Aban-
d0ned to Beetles.

Potato bugs are causing widespread de-
vastation In Montgomery county, Mary
land. This is the fiat statement Of some
OF the residents Of that section. The
bugs are large. aldermanic and pros
porous, and the farmers claim the usual
drenching of arsenate Of lead, which the
Department OF Agriculture says is the
proper antidote for the pest, is not hav-
ing the old-time effect this season.
The Department OF Agriculture. on the
other hand, refuses to take the situation
seriously. No less an authority than
DR.. l. o. Howard, chief of the bureau
of entomology, declared that there was
never potato bug foaleA that failed to
die IL given arsenate Of lead diet. and
that IL the farmers and other suburban
residents of Montgomery county had not
cleared their potato patches with lead
arsenate it either was because the poison
is not properly applied or because there
were no bugs there at all.
This brings about a deadlock OF scien-
fists and practical farmers. All that
can be done under the circumstances Is
to record the statements Of the opposing
sides and let the bugs do their best. or
worst, as the case may be.
Like Sparrows on a Wire.
One complaining Montgomery county
man who has a small patch OF potatoes.
in describing the ravages OF the beetle,
said: Il have seen badly infested fields.
but this is the first time l have ever
seen potato bugs sitting on the plants
like sparrows on a telegraph wire. The
only thing that seems likely to kill them
out is overprOduction, according to the
Malthusian theory. They may starve
to death after the potato plants and
the lead arsenate are all eaten, but that
will be too late to save the crop. AS
for the lead arsenate that the depart
ment recommends to kill them. they have
hitherto yielded to one spraying. This
year my patch has been sprayed three
times. On some Of the leaves, still white
with the solution, the bugs continne to
chew away. / am not a scientist. Doubt
less at the Department of Agriculture
they have the charts and the life history
of the potato bug. But / have the bugs
and the common commercial lead ar
senate, and either this particular breed
of bugs is immune to it or else II 10
not up to the standard that DR.. Wiley
ought to maintain.
Il am told that the situation in the up
per part of the county is worse and that
farmers there who are large planters Of
fields to the bugs because there was no
way of handling Them"
Stands Pat on Arsenate.
The Department Of Agriculture stands
pat as 1t were, on lead arsenate. Prof
F. II. Chittenden, the potato bug expert
Of the bureau of entomology. said: THE
potato is the most valuable American crop
1t is worth more per acre than wheat
or fruits, but ! must insist that the po-
tato beetle is easily controlled by lead
arsenate, and IL there are any fields ir
Maryland that are badly infested 1t Is
because the insecticide either has not
been applied or has not been applied
properly
This may be the explanation Of the
whole matter. There Is a great deal in
the proper application OF any remedy.
For instance. one would not take a corn
cure internally and collodian could hardly
be applied as a linament. There was q
case before the courts some time ago
where a man was arrested for selling
brick dust as flea powder, but he ex-
planned that the proper method Of appli-
cation was to catch the flea and tickle
his ribs till he laughed and then choke
him by sitting the powder down his
throat. 1t is just possible that both the
Maryland farmers and the department
scientists are right about the lead arsen-
ate, and that the trouble lies In Its not
having been properly applied.