The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1880-08-26
fHR ARMY WORN.
An Interesting Description of this vo.
rAeious Little Farmers Pest.

Professor Riley, chief of the United
States chronological commission, has
been studying the habits of the army
worm, and thus summarizes the result
Of his observations:
The insect is with US every year. In
ordinary seasons. when it is not exces-
sively numerous, 1t is seldom noticed.
First, because the moths are low, swift
flyers, and nocturnal in habit; secondly,
because the worms when young have
protective coloring, and when mature
hide during the day at the base OF
meadows. In years Of great abundance
the worms are generally unnoticed dur
ing early life, and attract attention only
when, from crowding too much on each
other, or from having exhausted the food
supply in the fields in which they are
Matched, they are forced from necessity
TO migrate to fresh pastures in great
bodies. Under favorable conditions
they begin to travel in armies, to devas-
tate the fields, and TO attract attention
about the time that winter wheat is in
milk. Soon afterward they descend into
the ground, and thus suddenly disap-
pear, to issue again two or three weeks
later as moths. In southerly ATTITUDES
these moths soon lay eggs again, from
which another brood of worms are
Matched, which become moths again in
July or August. Another generation
follows in ~southerly .latitudes. / am
strongly inclined to believe now that
the marching, devastating worms are
probably a second generation. The
hot, dry May drained the low alluvial
swampy lands, and the first worms
fourishcd therein unnoticed, while the
moths they produced, being in exces-
sive numbers, few to the cultivated
fields and laid their eggs on the higher
lands. The appearance OF the worms in
injurious numbers is therefore a con
sequence of drought, though the worms
themselves love shade and moisture,
and flourish most under these condi-
tions.
When first Matched the army worm is.
of the size of a knitting needle and hall
as long as a sewing needle. Its con-
quests are achieved by the force ofnum.
bers. Its methods of working differ on
every farm, because its movements are
dictated partly by the nature of the food
that comes in its way and largely by
the state fits appetite. Nineteen farm
ers out of twenty find the grub first in
their wheat or rye. If the grain stalks
are rank, green, and juicy, then the
worms grow rapidly. Their legs are so
shaped that they a hug a stalk more
naturally than they can walk. In the
center of the budy are four large legs
on each side, and under the forward
part of the body are three smaller legs
on each side. The legs readily move
inward and outward, like a pair of cal
lipers and enable tie worm to cling to
the stalk. At the tail are two legs to
push with. All the legs, also, have a
motion forward and back, like q COM
mon ca~terpillar's legs. No part of the
body lies on the ground. The head is
egg-shaped, and on the forehead is the
figure V. When the army worm
marches its gait is partly a walk, partly
a lope, and generally a humpy but rapid
progression. The motion is somewhat
similar to that of the common measur-
ing worm. When it marches it at
tends strictly to business, and when it
eats it walks as fast as it can consist
emily with the satisfaction of its unap'
peasable appetite. The green and ten
der crops are attacked because they are
easy to eat, and it is astonishing how
quickly IN army of worms will leave a
field of rye partly eaten to raid q field OF
corn three or four inches high near by,
whereas, if the cornfield had not been
where it was, the worms would have
continued in the rye field. They may
nearly always be found first in those
cereals whose sap contains the most
sugar. Cellulose tissue has no charms
for them. Yet they do not attack the
sweet juice stored in the wheat ear and
about to form the perfect grain until
they have first stopped to chew off the
slender leaves on the wheat stalk. II
the grain has begun to harden then the
worm nips off the top Of each kernels
sheath in turn and sucks out the sweet
juice. If the worms stay longer, and
they always do if no green field is near
at hand, they crawl down the stalk and
eat a green place if they find one. Thus
they cut stalks in two and the heavy
beads falls to the ground.
After rye and wheat, the worms
choose oats and timothy grass. Oats
are now Just rank enough for them.
They eat the grain down so neal to the
ground that only a bristly stubble re-
mains. Timothy is attacked in the
leaves, and the blossom at the top is a
dainty morsel. Pluck a half-eaten
timothy blossom, and you would think
that it had been cut by a razor edge.
Lettuce, celery and beet tops are straw
berries and cream to the worms palate,
and whenever these are met by it they
disappear. They despise onions, and
will not even cross sn onion bed. Po-
tato tops they politely leave to their
allies, the bugs. Stories are often