Morning journal and courier., 1880-06-15
sgolunal alla Colnier.
Tuesday Morning, June 15, 1880.
Local News.
IFOr other LOCAL NeWB Eee 6eCOHU IdBo.I
 The Army Worm.

ss Ir
 The Army Worm. Appearances of the Pest in Branford, Orange, Clinton, Westbroolx and Other Shore Townsville Department of Agr1- culture on the Subject-nKethods of De- stroyIng It and Limiting it's Ravages.
 The army worm, which has been making such havoc on Long Island and in Delaware and New Jersey, has made it's appearance ln Branford, Clinton Madison and Westbrook, also in Orange and other Connecticut shore towns. John w Nichols, Esq, whose office is in Hoadley building in this city, speaks of the appearance of the pest about his farm at Cherry Hill, Branford, and all along Tn that vicinity MT. Nichols says one of his neigh bor's rye fields is wreck-nearly destroyed They are making havoc in the rye, oats and cornields, and the grass is full of them. ssTake and part the grass almost anywhere and the worms are to be seen 1n numbers crawling about The grass in the rye IS | eaten off as clean as this pavement, pointing | to the flag pavement in front of Klocks drug l store. 'sSome of the rye in my section IS 1 too far ahead for the worms to do much dam | age. The worms vary in length from third l of an inch to near an inch. Many are of gray color" Westbrook farmer, an elder ly white whiskered gentleman, conversing with MT. Nichols, thought the worms took color somewhat from whatever they feed upon. The worms were disposed to favor themselves with the best they could get, and were averse to the sun heat. As was stated the other day, the worms are thought by many to choose the cooler part of the afternoon and the shades of evening to do their lunching and feasting on the tender shoots in the farmer fields. ''They burrow," continued the speaker, into the tender shoots, and having ensconced themselves therein, out of the reach of the suns rays, keep up their eating until the stalk is hollow and the life gone. They then get out of that and crawl to the next stalk, and if some oth- CT worm has cleared that out ahead of them they crawl on to find another not eaten. They are not as repulsive looking as many ordinary worms which are to be seen in the gardens ln l the city. The worms have also appeared in | Orange and at point four miles from the city they are gathered in considerable force." The army worm in it's ravages in Delaware did most damage to the wheat and corn. The greatest injury was done to corn, which, be- 1 ing tender, was eaten to the ground wherever it was encountered by the worms ln therr march. The farmers of Kent county, Della | ware, have been vigorous in their efforts to protect themselves from the spreading of this pest, and in many instances, by means of l ditches and pits, have succeeded in saving l large fields of corn, and at the same time trapping and destroying millions of worms. The danger in that section for this season is 1 nearly past but in localities farther north, l where the pest is later in appearing, much 1 remains to be done.
 | How to Destroy the Pests.
 The Department of Agriculture at Wash ington furnishes the following suggestions for the destruction of the pests:
 REMEDEs-If the theory just quoted be true the best means of preventing the occur renee of this pest in cultivated fields will be to keep watch of any extensive tracts of low land which may be in the neighborhood, and if army worms are discovered destroy them either by burning over the land if possible or by poisoning with arsenic, Paris green or London purple, or by any other means of | which the local conditions will admit In l fact it would be well to burn over all the low 1 lands in the vicinity each winter, thus de- stroying the hibernating insects.
 I do not feel implicit confidence, however, in the above theory, as have observed the army worms feeding in small numbers IT meadows on high lands where their presence there could not be explained by the reasons given. Moreover, from what data have been able to obtain while preparing this art1 cle, it appears that the present season has moi been a wet one in those localities in which the army worm has appeared, thus falling to con ! firm the theory. It is worthy of note, how ever. that in most instances the localities in Tested by the worm this year are in the VI cinity of extensive tracts of low lands. , am carefully collecting evidence on these points and will publish the results as soon as practicable.
 lands the best plan of action to follow is tc 1 prevent the spreading of the insect Thl' l may be done by destroying them or by con
 fining them to the fields in which they appear
 The best method of destroying them is by
 crushing with rollers or by poisoning witt l arsenic, Paris green Or London purple
 Either of these substances can be applied
 rapidly by mixing with water and using l fountain pump or garden syringe. In man.
 instances, however, these remedies are I'm l practicable. The second line of defence re
 mains, and if well carried out the result VII l not merely be the confnlng Of the worms tt
 the fields in which they appear, but the de 1 struction of them also when they attemp
 to migrate to other fields. This is done b.
 means of ditches and pits dug around
 the infested field or that to be pro
 tected. The ditches can be made quite rap = idly First plough furrow with the "lant
 side" next to the field to be protected, ana
 then with spade make this side of the fur
 row vertical, or, if the soil be compact enougi , | to admit of it, overhanging. When the ditcl , is completed holes should be dug in 1t iron
 one foot to eighteen inches deep and iron
 twenty to thirty feet apart. The sides o
 these holes should also be vertical, or, if pos
 sible overhanging. The worms unable t.
 climb up the vertical side of the ditch vii
 crawl along the bottom of it and fall into tn
 holes, where they will soon perish. Wher
 the soil is sandy so that the ditch cannot b
 made with vertical side, it should be du
 deeper than in other cases and the side mad
 as nearly perpendicular as possible, so tha
 when the worms attempt to crawl up tn
 sand will crumble beneath them and caus
 them to fall back again.
 A Sensible Suggestion.
 A writer to the New York Herald makes Isensible suggestion He says that the farm | ers where the worms have ravaged, havin
 lost their grain and hay crops, can yet mak
 arrangements to save their cattle For il
 stance, the Long Island farmers whose field
 have been devastated have ample time yet
 blow, manure heavily and plant corn for 'e1
 silage" and thus secure abundant fodder fo
 their stock during the fall and winter. 1T
 the climate of Long Island corn can be plan
 ed for ensilage any time in Jnne, and even {
 late as the middle of July. The corn is ems
 laged when green-the same as for soiline Cut it when 1t is between the period of blo ] som and the milk. The process of 'ensilat ing is simple, but it must be done rightl. The cost is by no means large and the resu is absolutely certain-a scientific result wit no peradyenture or chance about it."
 , ' THE scoURaE OF THE FIELDS.
 ' The following resume of what is known respecth
 the army worm (Helio- -phila Ueucania) unipunctal
 condensed from account of this insect prepared the forthcoming annual report of the National D pertinent of Agriculture.
 I The adult insect is night flying moth of dl brown color marked in the center of each forewil
 with distinct white spot, and with an expanse