The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-08-11

An Enemy That Che Long Island FARMERS
Are Fighting.
A Frightful Pest to Market
Gardeners.

mature has given him Grasshoppors have overrun
portions the West devastating upon acres Of
waving grain The Colorado potato beetle has swept
nelds East and West as bare as stubble neds and
the formidable army worm, marching nom heid
70 Aeld by millions and eating up almost every green
and succulent thing as IL goes Whence they come or
whittier they 60 1t is apparently impossible 70 deter
mine Their appearances rs sudden and unheraded,
and their disappearance is fully as mysterious They
swarm literally by Millions in night and before their
presence Is even known acres Of crops may be do
sIoyed This may like exaggerarion but 1t is not
rs many an unfortunate farmer Oh Long Island VIII
readily testify.
DESCRIPTION PEST
Like the cabbage worm commonly known as the
"cut worm these pests the product OF butterfly
or moth bat unlike them in appearance and habits
The moth nom which the army worm comes IS
one Of The night Hying species yellowlsh drab,
incning 70 russell color with small white dot near
the centre Of its wings and dusky, ohique stripe
nj their tips 1t rather less than inch in length and
when The wings extended IL is about an inch and
throeq uar.ers from tip 70 tip The lArva Of the worm
varies considerably in color and sze with age and To-
esty but It's characteristic markings constant
as 10 render readily distinguishaola Il varies in
length from than inch and hreequarter
ancles; Of a dark gray color with three narrow yell
loish stripes above broader OF the color
or slightly darker each SIDE, and thinly clothed
with short hairs which larger and thicker on and
about the head-the latter beng Of polished honey
yellow with a network OF ine dark lines and black
lines on the 'front.' like the letter reversed The worm,
caterpillar itself when fully grown, measures from
and three fourths inches IN lengththe latter
when well fed-and is about thick ordinary
goosequin color lighter darker gray, with two
lateral stripes The upper with yeIowsh central lIpe
and the lower a reddish one; legs sixteen SIX true
or pectoral eight prolegs or abdominal and anal
the extremity Of the body the head brownish,
times marbed and shining; few short hairs on the
body and larger struggling the head. The pupa
a. OF mahogany brown color nine lines in length, and
Gpped at the end with short spIna The pGpa IN the
Eastern States by The way while or the color
ries in size, beng usually smaller and the spInaEs
double OF cleft at the apex
Until within a com paTatively short time the ravages
of the army worm were mostly confined TO the southern
States where the cotton 6eis their fvore feed
ing grounds Millions were lost 70 the planters trough
the wholesale destruction Of their great staple In
their progress North they first struck the Western
States and II is through the experience there gained
thai the farmers able 70 combat them with
cess when warned Of their approach Fifteen years
ago they first made their appearance long Island IN
much the unheradcd manner rs this year, al
though IN much less number2 In the meantime, as
they have not reappeared IL was established theory
thai the Northern winters for the
70 exia and that they had thus been erectuy exter
minated This theory, however, as Il Dow appears,
was faacious They have come In countless numbers
and WITH ravenous appetites.
EXTENT COUNTRY
Long Island already visited by these destructive
pests quite large and comprises portions Of both suf
tois and Queens counties where the population Is
ing apparently in the cat eds though they DO not
hesitate 70 attack corn or any other kind OF grain and
potato tops tins leaves Of peach pear and apple
trees and other green things-anytring in fact that
viii satisfy their present honger, for nothing will sp
pelse il IN attacking Ca. hed they crawl up the
stalks away the succulent just below the
grain head allowing the kernels TO fall 70 the ground,
khus havrg the stalks standing upright and naked So
thorough Their work that IN field attacked by them
handful Of abou, thirty stalks only showed grain
bead eft The danger OF loss is made so imminent rom
sbis cause Chat the farmers are naturally struck with
quite panic and casting about for the best means
Df defence against IN enemy Rial may be upon them Al
fhe nrst note OF the appearance Of the
have been made by Mr. v r Terry, Of Success in Suf-
folk county, about two weeks ago. He found army
bn ms ieid and knowing what Ire bad 70 contend
with he without los Of time pui his reaper al work to
save what part Of the crop he could In green state
They we're N the potato field Of Mr.
Daniel Hudson m the same neghborhosd
Ehzi hey had gone through the potato field and at
hacked Cat fed suNng Their tase better he lost
M least hfty bushels OF oais IN single night and the
rest only saved by cutting IN green state Next
aay afterward Mr.. George @ Haock found his
oai field literally alive with them and ne too was
goroed to to the cutting process This
Saturday week On the following Monday they were
tOund IN the fields in the vicinity crawling up the
gaks devourug the tender leaves and destroying the
sets Their method with corn il 10 crawl in at the
silk end Of the and eat out the inside kernels coo
they ASd swarmed out Of the woods " as he expressed
81 and destroyed fine hed Of cahL Further ess,
=
had lost bis entire crop Of '-before ne knew i'm
RAvAGEs OF THR WORK
From Southampton Suffolk county, the word Is that
''the worms eating up everything They were 1rst
about July 80 and have already destroyed almost
the entire oet crop while Toe prospect + good Tor her
m what eft Of the strawfcr they cal straw as well
~ graD-snd others viii do so They are getting into
the corn and have already seriously damaged some
fields They swarm eVeryvhere-n The road, meadows
stubbles ali II they hast Few teys longer there
VIII be 10 She localities spread By them, scarce
green thing Seft except where they shat out BY
bitches. some farmers have cut into their oats and
kied TO dry them for fodder, but find difficult, tho
being green and showers frequent The loss IS
fst al the more "a consequence Of he very short hay
crop
throughout The Hamptous IN fact Tho worms have
done much Damage than AZ hrst appeared pzoha
bic having pretty much wiped ON the oat rye and
barley crops, well doing much damage 70 corn and
peas As Their ravages have not been severe in The
wheat Fields many Of The farmers who hal got their
oats cutting and carting them m a green state and
Tipening The kernels by the willing process The loss
ward be fed 70 horses and cattle While nearly every
farmer has thu lost Iess by these pests
al EasthanpLon. Who expected 70 harvest about
400 bushels rom s4ngie neid. hAs had the crop
1rely DESTROYED
From Bridgehampton the word u.s. "tho worm has
nbout finished the oats in TINS vicinity ana Low az
work IN DE corn. few fields Of oats have mys-
terously escaped destruction, but they arc iew aud
tr between. Some Farmers saved part OF their crop
ny cutting and binding IL up Immediately and removing
81 70 a spot free from the Sorms "
IRON GArdners Island the WORD y shat we oat crop
rs about All eaten upl n L Grifing lost a handsome
held near Riyerhead village. At 5syyiLe number u
6elds vi OAls badly damaged
DAkAGR
has not yet been 70 widespread 10 Queens county but
A. bad enough 10 the vicinity Of Rockville Centre on
ahe hne Of the Southern Railroad they have made their
appearance ~ gTest numbers and are seemingly organ
fzed for campaign They the aIiauthus
trees and appear be- spending their time IN marching
MP and down The trees myriads n them being con
sfanuy on The They are already 20 BE- seen
severa farms m the nsighborhood bot have YET done
but little damage
Further north however they have commenced tbe
war of Destruction. Mr. r. O. BaTpuul. uf East
Meadow has bad about forty acres OF due oats
pletey ruined Mr. Tutue Of Jerusalem l1st bis
entre GA crop. and Mr.. r. B. F1gh o. hast Meadow
has osi ~ least 900 bushels Of expected crop of
500 oushels Tie danger rs not yet p4st doubtless
gtiB other damage VII be reported.
Probably The easiest method Of avertpg the ravage-
OF this pest " that most commonly 4dopted-that Of
placing double fnrrov around the heid any
~ 4 $500 ..L.-. L. !. ~ L