Year: 1877

From the New York Herald


would recommend to the farmers OF


THIS State, who during the past season


nave suffered from the rayages of the


Colorado beetle, to plough deeply and


cross plough all the land used for the


cultivation OF potatoes before the ground


becomes too much frozen to do so. The


ploughing should be done at a low tenn


perature to insure the destruction bv frost


OF the grubs that have taken possession


OF the soil, and which will in the spring.


under favorable circumstances come forth


II now undisturbed to renew the de5truc-


tlon which their predecessors ACCOMPLISH


ed during the past season. Having for


several years closely observed. with the


microscope and otherwise. the habits of


thus insect During one Of which the DO


tato crop IN this section Of the country


where reside in the summer was totally


deStroyed), | have become convinced that


unless some radical measures are adopted


to eradicate this pest it will become a


permanent sconrge The great power for
evil which it possesses is due to its enor-
nous capacity for propagation. AS we
descended the scale OF animal life this
capacity increases, and in the minute
microscopic forms it reaches incredible
proportions. The female of the Colorado


beetle will lay over hundred eggs at
one sitting. have counted l2l in one
nest. They have the form and appear
ance under a magntier Of hens eggs, with
the exception that they have saffron
color Always deposited on the under
side OF the leaf the eggs are hatched out
IN favorable weather III forty eight h0uls,
when the VOraciOuo little creatures begin
Their attack at once upon the green Clo-
rophyl Of the leaf, gorging themselves bv
lncessant eating until they can scarcely
maintain their hold upon the plant. IN
creasing in size with wonderful rapllity
they soon drop To the earth, into which
they buIIOW. and in ten or fifteen davs
emerge theretIom with striped wings in
the tull beetle form ready to begin the
work OF propagation. If the season is
favorable two broods are developed into
active force during the summer, and
third brood goes into the ground to come
ont as a beetle in the spring and attack
the early sprouts OF the potato. Some
idea may be formed of the potentiality
of this little insect when we consider
that one thousand of them can produce a
hundred thousand and those again can
produce ten million, 50 that the dcstruc-
ton Of this third brood now in the ground
to be resurrected in the early spring is
Il matter OF no little Importance. The
European governments have become lust
~ alarmed At the appearance of this de
Str0yer OF human food on the Continent
and stringent measures have been taken
to stamp It out. with what success re-
mains to be seen. Like many OF the para
site diseases due to minute forms of ami
NAL lite these destructive insects are in
directly the result of the development of
civilization. The sparse vegetation Of the
Rocky Mountains, which is their natural
habitat. did not furnish sufficient pabulum
Tor their present enormous increase, but
the progress of civilization carried to
them through the cultivation of the soil
the food that in its natural state it would
not Yield them, and has enabled them as
well as the grasshopper t. develop into
the terrible proportions that have borne
havoc to the habitations Of man. Their
only sure destruction lies in the destruc-
tl"D of the germs and the plan have
viii. | have no doubt, accom-
plisil that end