New-York tribune., 1875-08-06
ARMY WORMS ON LONG ISLAND.

EXTENSIVE DEsrRJ CTION OF CORN AND OATS
| Although the Colorado potato beetle has done
ms vet little damage in the two agricultural counties OF
Long sland-Sufoik and Qucsnsthe farmers are suffer
ing the dpredatiOns of another pest III some re-
srects even formidable. The army worfls have
made their appearance great numbers and the fields
of oats md are being destroyed They were fret
observed on Wednesday Of last week. when " H. Terry
Of Success found them at work ia field of oats He
at once set his rcaItH st work, ~ tue
only chance Of saving the Data The worms
eat only the green STEMS and drop the
Kernels 10 the ground which is tns frequently covered
with oats while the stalk Is left standing upright end
naked. ON Friday the worms attacked potato-fedd he
longing 10 Daniel Hudson Saturday morning II was
found they had visited hs adjoining oaheid and 1t
il estimated that during the night at least 80 bushels OF
oats were lost George C. Haoke foond one OF his fields
covered with the ard immediately put LIS reap
ers 10 work. cutting long as be could see Saturday
night On Monday the worms were seen among the
cor-fclds. and the farmers Immediately began ditehns
and trcnchng wherever the movements Of the pest could
thus he intercepted.
On Tuesday George f. Warner found that the worms
were in his Oacd. having come i'll swarms ont OF the
woods Capt Edward Hawkins OF Jamesrort is reported
TO have lost his entire crop Of before he knew tao
WORMS were at work The farmers OF Oregon Cutchogue
Peconc and various other places have taken the alarm
10 a Of eir crops From southai pon and Edsaanpton
reports made that the worm. are eating up every:
July and have eied in destroying almost the entire
left Of the and probably all will do So The worms
have already seriously damaged some fields OF corn
They swarm every where in The roads, meadows,
subbc and growing cds 1t is diihcut 10 dry the oats
for fodder tn, II grerD the loss Is FELT all The
more consequence Of the shOrtness NJ the hay crop
The daI.age the oats ID much greater tan what the
worm. actually consume, and in attacking corn they 20 10
the part where the h forming. The reports fIoin
Queens County chow HAT Mr.. TIttle Of Jerusalem h~
lost hs entire Oat crop, T. G. Barnum Of Eisi Meadow
has had sJme forty OF oats ainost completely
ruined G. B. Fish of the place calculates that NJ
has LOST least 400 bushels OF oats ont Of prospective
crop OF 500 bushels. On Friday iast he examined his
oats and found them doing finely on Monday he found
that the had cut swath directly through then
tine leaess and he:Hess stalks standing Other
less e.roils dcpIe.atiOns reported out a. whole
Queens County appears 10 have thus far suffered less than
Suffolk.
This caterpillar is from half an inch 10 two
lnches long Of hrUwnsh color. with WING stripe nun
ming the length OF the body The appearance and
disappearancc Of the very sudden. While
preierrng oats they do not hesitate 10 attack other
fieIds and particularly seem to relish They
the stalks the tender leaves enter the end
Of the hsk and destroy the growing both and
cob The best protection Of the farmer y ditchng or
blowing around the fields. The worms fall into the
ditch or furrow, ami then he destroyed by burning
straw them. Some nfeen years ago these worms
made their appearance IN the same sections OF Lang
Island DGt teii number was innch ess than at present