POTATO CULTURE. 109 



with hand-picking, and we found that, by going at it sys- 

 tematically and on time, we could actually prevent all dam- 

 age from these pests at less expense than we were at when 

 using poison. Exact figures were kept, so I knew this. 

 Then I was released, for cheap hands could pick bugs, and 

 no injury was done to vines. The larvse did not have to eat 

 the vines to get the poison and die. Let me give you an ex- 

 ample or two of how I have been " sat down on" in regard 

 to this point. At the " round-up " institute, in Wisconsin, 

 on " Potato day " I was called for my experience. I touched 

 this matter very lightly, and spoke of the injury that I 

 thought was done to vines from using poison. Mr. Smith 

 had just been telling of his big crop of some 1700 bushels on 

 4 acres. Instantly one sharp friend called out. : " Smith, did 

 you use poison on that big crop of yours ? " 



" Yes, sir." 



"All right ; that is all I want to know. That was a good 

 enough crop for me, injury or no injury." 



Friend Carman, in his book, " The New Potato Culture," 

 says : " When writers advise us to gather the beetles by 

 hand, we want to tell them that, if they would practice this 

 advice for one season, they would not care to offer it again." 

 That is a little hard on me, isn't it V But I think we have 

 tried it 15 seasons, and two years on 24 acres, two on 18, and 

 the rest on about 12. The trouble with Mr. Carman was, 

 that he tried it in a small way, I presume, and perhaps in a 

 locality where there were many small patches within flying 

 distance. I tried it on a farm, away from any village. I 

 would never undertake to pick beetles off on a little gar- 

 den-patch, particularly in town. 



Mr. Carman prefers using poison mixed with plaster, 

 rather than in water. Briefly, he says the poisoned water, 

 for the most part, does not settle or dry upon the edges of 

 the leaves ; but the poison collects, as the water evaporates, 

 near the center, or mid-veins, or depressions, so that the 

 beetles may eat up the best part of the leaf ere they encoun- 



