Year: 1870

|
| Potato Bug.


The Detroit Post says: The ravages O


the potato bug are already exciting cor
siderable alarm among farmers in diferen
portions of this State, and fears are enter


tanned OF their almost entirely destroyln!


the crop IN E0me sections. Mr.. J. S. lib


bits, of Livonia, Wayne county, stated t.


us yesterday that in his neighborhood tn


bugs ale making sad work " ith the leave


and tops of the earlier variC of potatoes


The farmers used great care in picking OF


the bugs that first appeared, and in cutting
! off and burning all leaves, so far as they


could discover them, upon which eggs haC


been laid But the propagation o


the insects is altogether too rapid to


allow of their being destroyed


effectually. A single bug lays
| sometimes, as many as seven thousand
eggs, which hatch very speedily, and in g


very short time the young bugs commence
| upon the leaves. The eggs are laid upon
the under side of the leaves; in a short
time the leaf will, in a very curious manner


twist itself around, and bring the eggs up
permost, when the sun will hatch them.


Mr. Tibbitts showed US some Of the tops
OF the Early Rose potato, upon which were
the small bright, yellow eggs, and bugs in


all the different stages of growth. He and


his neighbors have done their best to get
| rid of the pest, but are afraid the bugs


will keep ahead of them till the end of the
season.


With reference to these insects, the last
number Of the Hearth and Home SAYS:
/ What remedy is there?


First. Capturing and destroying them
An interesting account of Mr.. Cages strug.
gle with the may be found in the Michi-
gan Agricultural Report, PIP. 171-184 He
fought them by hand but was at last COM
PEELED to give over by reason of their null
titude When gathered in pan, they are
often destroyed by pouring hot water upon
them; but in such case the fumes have
sometimes proved poisonous. machine
has been contrived which may be dragged
along the rows, and by properly adjust
ed reel, knock the bugs into receptacles
prepared for them.


Second. busting of the vines, while
wet with dew. with Paris green or with
Whlte hellebore, has in many instances
proved eficacious,


Third. The planting of some special
sort of potato which the bug is found to
prefer, will frequently save an adjoining
crop, since this pirate is found to be very
strong IN his prejudices. The main hope
OF relief must come, however, we suspect,
from the multiplication of parasites. Of
wi 1t these are, and what their habits, we
shall make authoritative mention in an
early paper.


How. DRAINING MAY CosT NOTHING
Says contributor to an exchange: [ am
satlshed there are great many farmers
who would do good jobs at draining if they
knew how and where to begin, and if they
could find the time Many farmers do
most of their work themselves, only hiring
a little by the day at the busy seasons,
and OF course pay round price for it. If
they would hire by the month, they could
OF course get the men much cheaper, as
the day laborer has to get pay for the idle
days by charging extra prices for the davs
he works. My advice and practice have
been to hire help and give constant EN-
ployment for the time agreed upon. Then
when there Is no regular farm work press
ng commence drain. begin at the
lower end and work up hill, keep
Ing the bottom nearly level till l get a
depth of four feet; then keep it not less
than that depth, letting the water run off
behind me. This ditch digging T
keep as knitting work, as it can be taken
up at any time when there is nothing else
to do, and can be left as readily. If I have
any haying to do and do not wish to start
machine till the dew is off, say to my
man, "You may go to your knitting work
till [ call you" If q shower stops work
on the hay, or if it is too wet to hoe, or
have just finished some job and do not
want to begin arother to-day, L say, eve
will dig in that drain till chore time"


If am going away with my team, let
my man dig in the ditch. Indeed, [ should
have found great many days when
should have had nothing for a man to do
rad I not had piece of draining on hand.
Then again, had mot had steady hired
man, my regular farm would have suffered
severely at times. So the plan seems to
work well all around. The man is sure of
constant employment and gets as much in
a month as if he worked by the day, and [
get more work for the same pay and the
man is just as we'll satisfied. He makes
more time, but runs no risk of being unem-
ployed.


A RATHER DAMP ENTERTAINMENT was tha
given lately at Kansas City, Mo. A loca
paper describes it:


1.-The square was thronged with people
from the adjoining country, who were in
Dol~