THE POTATO 



Insects and Diseases. The Colorado potato 

 beetle or the potato bug, as it is incorrectly 

 called, is a common enemy of the potato patch. 

 It may be destroyed by spraying the foliage 

 with one-fourth pound of Paris green to seven 

 gallons of water. This will cover your plot of 

 thirty by eighty feet. As the potatoes reach 

 maturity it might require a little more, but 

 usually if the first beetles are destroyed there 

 is seldom a second attack. Keep the solution 

 continually agitated because the Paris green 

 does not dissolve in water. London purple, 

 or powdered arsenate of lead dusted on the 

 vines as soon as the beetles appear will easily 

 destroy them. 



The flea beetle is common wherever the 

 potato is grown. It riddles the foliage full of 

 tiny holes and is checked only by the spray of 

 Bordeaux mixture which is applied for the 

 blight. A broad shallow pan with a little 

 kerosene in the bottom of it is sometimes used 

 by holding the pan close to the vines and strik- 

 ing the opposite side of the vines with a whisk 



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