The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1861-08-22


The following appears in The Chicago Trib-
me, from correspondent in Perry county, Hi
rois:
The ftst account that we have Of tGis worm
came from the county of Perry, as far back as
1925, when it was very destructive It re-ap-
peared at unequal periods in 1925, '26, '34, 80
! Al, 40 since then it has attracted no pariicu.
lar attention. There can be no doubt that it
appears annually but from the abundance OF
It's enemies among the ichneumons and bin de il
is kept within bounds but occasionally, in the
absence of these, it swarms in fearfaI mum.
bers.
| In April, for two or three days, The air was
| filed with miilers which have since been f,und
| to be the moth of this worm These must have
| laid their eggs by the million mt the base Of the
| cultivated grasses, from whence the grand ar
| my after having destroyed oil that was green
marched to other fields. / is curuus that the,
| dislike clover, seldom eating it at all but, m
fortunately but little clover is grown in this
part Of the State Unless badly pressed for food,
they seldom touch the growing wheat and rye
Perhaps at this seescu us growth j. TOO much
advanced to suit them
| Mr. Nasen drove US rome twenty miles
| through the country, and We saw some thous-
ands of acres of wheat, from which they had
stripped every leaf leaving only the stem and
/
! jnred as the heads were wei filed and the Der
| ry plump. Every meadow and pasture that VIC
saw had been denuded Of IFS crop Of grass Just
as completely as if fire had run over Them
| Thousands Of acres Of corn had been rep!anted
The glass; and flower plants in the yard had
been overrun and the foliage debroyed They
do not attack the roots, but simply make it the
place where they burrow 70 pass through the
chrysalis state. Few attempts have been mace
n Of a.
Or the plough
Il is singular that so destructive an insect as
this, and enc that has been so long known, say
thirty-seven years, and making seven very
marked visits, should not have had its habits
better known than would appear to have been
the case, but the farmers Of Perry county are,
we suspect, no great readers, ard from the gen
eral absence Of school houses III this twenty
mile driven we think the proapec; is wot good Tor
an Improvement il this direction. In most 9th
er parts OF the State, the farmers read, and as
The army worm may visit them, il win be well
70 point out some Of the habits Of the unproft4-
bic visitor,
THE REMEDY.
When this insect is about to appear in laroe
numbers, we have notice Of it in the swartns of
brownish or yellowi,h brown miller which is
about three fourths OF an inch across tbe wings.
they Jay their eggs apparently only in herds
grass or blue grass grounds, and whenin large
numbers.the only way that we can suggest is TO
turn 1t under at once and either plant it to corn
or sow to oats. This win destroy the worms
ana give crop, and at the same time will pro-
tect the fields Of corn and crops. If this is not
zone, dilching must be resorted TO 1T once, to
Keep them from leaving the grass land. As they
march slowlynot over half dozen rods a day,
fulro Ms can be ploughed ahead Of them, two or
three made deep, and the Loose soil thrown
out with shovel, will keep them in This, if
well done, is effectual, for they do not hatch in
the grain fields, but go there.
When they get upto tho heads Of the grain,
which they sometimes do after they have eaten
the leaves, they sometimes, if it is not advance
ed, destroy the head, and it is important TO dis
lodge them. This easy. Take a rope three or
four rods long, and let two men sweep the field
with it. The worms win all fall to the ground
and will not again attempt to get at the heads,
but will travel to other quarters. No farmer
need, therefore lose anything more by them
han the madow and the pasture. and these
tmay DO plowed up and and planted TO
corn. or, if needed, sown to rye for pasture, or
corn for hay. Hungarian grass is so uncertain
and ofso little vaEe that we are not disposed
to recommend it,