Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1853-10-14
The Army of Worms.

In the summer of l710, the country was
visited by an extraordinary calamity, such u
one as tins country never experienced before
or since. 1t was on army of worms which ex-
tended from Lancaster, \. H., to Norhfeld,
Mass. They began the latter part of July,
l770, and continued their ravages until Sep
lembCr. The inhabitants denomlnated them
the "Norhcrn Army" as they seemed to ad-
vance from the north 10 nor Invest and to pass
east aud south, although did not learn that
they ever passed the highland between the
Connecticut and the Merrlmac rivers. They
were altogether nnumerab for multitude
Dr. Burton, OF Thetiord, w. told M he had
seen pastures so covered that he could not put
down his finger in a single spot, without plac-
ng It upon worm. He said he had seen more
han ten bushels in heap. They were unlike
anything the present generation had ever seen.
| There was ii stripe upon the back like velvet
on either side yellow stripe from end to end
and the rest of the body was brown. They
were seen not larger than pm; but IN their
maturity they were sometimes seen as long
a mans finger, and proportlonately large in
circumference.
/ They filled the houses of the inhabitants,
and entered their kneadlng troughs, as did tho
frogs of Egypt They would go up the sides
of the houses and cover it IN such compact
column, that nothing of the boards or shingles
could be seen. They did not take hold of the
pumpkin vines, peas, potatoes or flax; but
wheat and corn disappeared before them as by
magic. They would climb the stalks OF wheat,
cut them off Just below the head and almost
as soon as the head had fallen TO he ground,
/ it was devoured.
There were fields of corn on the meadows in
| Haverhlll and Newbury, Vt, standing so thick,
large and tall, that IN some instances it was
] 4 .,,,lt
rod IN the field from the outermost row. But
in ten days from the first appearance of the
4" Northern Army" nothing remained of this
corn but the bare stalks Every expedient was
reSortcd to by the inhabitants to protect their
field, but IN valn. They dug trenches foot
and halt deep, hoping tins might prove a
defence; but the bitches were soon filled, and
the millions that were IN the rear went over on
the backs of their fellows IN the trench and
took posseSslon OF the lnterdlclcd food.
About the first ol September, the worms
suddenly disappeared, and where they termin-
ated their earthly career is unknown, for not
the carcass OF worm could be seen. In Just
eleven years afterwards, IN 1881 the same
tlnd OF worm made ITS appearance again, and
the fears ot the people were much excited, but
they were comparatively few in number, and
none ot the kind have ever been seen since
1hs visitation, which destroyed the principal
grains tor that year, was felt severely. Jona-
than Tyler of Plcrnont related to me that the
settlements IN that town were left without the
means oi subsistence from their own farms.
Ills father drew hay on hand sled upon the
ice fom the great uN-buw, IN Ncwbury, tn
support his COW the following winter And
had 1t not been for two sources open for their
support, they must have deserted the town.
One was the extraordinary crop ot pumpklns