Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1880-07-22
5arm ano honssbOlo
he Ar@y-Te,n.
WHERE IT LAYS rs ECG>-H,BIrs AND
REMEDIES.

This Is one of the insects that, on account
Of uide spread injuries at irregular intervals,
and Of its not being noticed by farmer dur
ing the intervening years, attracts more than
usual attention. and. notwithstanding il has
been written about by euiomologists f1r
many wears, and especially since 1851. when
w had a widespread visitation u II. yc; It's
fall natural history IA. hr>i made known
some four wears age By Professor k+lc,,
who Published a complete accoun; q il in
h. eighth and ninth reports on the insects
q Missouri. Various ca;crpil.ers that. from
successive multiplication. occasionally move
from field 10 field in large hodies have pop
ularly been called army-Worns. bu; the
term belongs 70 tins insect par eIeeIi0oe.
Up 10 the wear 1861 very little but that Vas
inaccurate and confusing had been written
sbou; this insect though 1t j. referred 10 in
F!in,'s second report on the Agriculture Of
Massachusetts,. a. occurring in millions as
long ago a. l743. 1851 and 1873 were not
Cd wears Of vide spread injury.
The favor.ie place to which the female
eonsigns her eggs Is along the inner base Of
the terminal blades Of grasses, where such
blades are vet double. and on both The green
and dry blades In fact the dry blades are
preferred. and occasionally the eggs are
thrust in between the sheath and stalk. The
female says Professor Riley, having once
commenced to lav. j. extremely active and
busy. especially during warm nights. and
but two OK three days are required to empi,
the oyarie., which have 4 uniform develop
menL A string Of fifteen or twenty eggs .,
placed in position IN two OF three minutes,
and by the end Of ten morc. the moth ~lii
choose another leaf and supply it with an
other string. The moth perishes within
day after having exhausted her suppl, Of
eggs The egg j. glisienlng white when
first laid and only becomes tarnishcd or
family dull-ycllovlsh toward maturity
A, Professor Rde, wei. observes. the fac,
cannot be too strongly impressed on the
mind. that the travelling q the worms J.
abnormal nuring the latter part 81 April
and throughout the month q MA,, IN tn.
part of the country, the worms NAV almost
ALWAYS h found BY d.lgcn; search IN moist
grass land that ~as no, cut ur rragci ton
C.ase.s The previous autumn AZ these
time. the, have essentially the hah.ts q
ordinary cut worms. and ar seldom noticed
unles, abundant Al. 60 cgi The rfass en-
tr,ly dovu and b, obliged % travel 90 frcsh
Pastures. Indeed. onc ma, pass dali,
through gras. pla; whrr, tie, abound aud
never suspect Their gressnos auil ;5e plat
sudicni, b~eus 9. lu.ak bart iH patches.
The reason vhy thes - ,4sI, escape
detection IN tins 'h,.r normal condition }.
that. ~heR ic.. than half an inch lpag the
worm. ar scarcs.y recognizable .. army
worms. the chaTAc;erls;4e d4rk .snaou. i.n,.
on 'he bead hcins a. ihl. time wanting. aud
the general color heing pAlc-,r The
color !. sery variable a. an, stag & growth
aud in some individuals the brown tr,,iorn-
mates While they arr yci quite small bg,
up % the last mouli the green generally pre-
yails and the longitudinal dark lines ar, less
conspicuous. The broad .,!grnaial lin, y.
the most persistent. being distinguished
when the insect Is one-quArter inch long
The worms IN th.s their normal condition
feed mostly al night and hide during the
day al the base Of the grass or any shelter
al hand. II the, venture TO mount plan,
and feed during the day-which they often
do in cloudy weather-they drop al the least
disturbance and curl up IN a spiral As to
simulate very closely a small shell Of the
Helix form The worm loves cool. moist
places. and is more often found around the
margins Of creeks and ponds than elsewhere
Last year when the rains were so copious as
10 MI creeks and bottom lands and float
numbers Of the worms away. saw many 8
one cling tenaciously To grass blades and
continue feeding as though little concerned
even when partly immersed.
1t is only when hunger impels them iha:
they march forth from the fields where they
were born, though after they have once be-
gun the wandering habit they often pas.
through fields without eating everything ID
the ground. Invariably when the older in.
diyiduals are attracting attention by eongre-
eating and travelling in armies. Others ma,
be found of all sizes in the more normal and
quie; condition in grass that is yet sufficient
/! rank ; they may indeed be found some
times after the first WORMS have changed
into moths /; and the mower with his scyth.
often startles the moths in numbers during
the latter part Of June, while yet the worm,
are elinging to the grass that he is cutting
or hiding in the stubble that he leaves.
When travelling the worm .'will seareel,
turn aside for ANYTHING but water, and ever
shallow water-eourses will not always cheel
Its progress for the advance columns vii
often continue to rush headlong into til,
water until they have sufficiently choked i
up with their dead and diving bodies, to en-
able the rear guard to pass safely over
have noticed that after crossing bare fielt
or road, where they were subjected to tn,
suns rays, they would congregate in i'm
mense numbers under the first shade reach
ed In one instance / recollect their collect
ing and covering the ground five or SIX inch
es deep all along the shady side of fene'
for about a mile. while scarcely one va
seen to cross TO the sunny side of the sam
fence
Though when hard pushed the worm
will fall upon and devour each other. an'
will even feed upon some kind of vegetable
vet their attacks are mostly confined to tn
grasses and cereals, and their most natura