The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1880-12-25
The Army Worm.
Boston journal.

Boston journal.
The farmers of Eastern Massachu.
sets are full of apprehension at the
prospect of having their crops laid
waste by an enemy Sc thorough in his
work of devastation that scarcely any
green thing survives in the track of
his deadly march. This strange crea-
ture, which seems to have been espe-
cially commissioned by nature as a
destroyer is a caterpillar, the larva
of night-hying moth. 1t derives its
name from its peculiar habits, which
give to large body of them in mo-
ton the appearance of vast and
organized army, following dis
tinct leaders, and moving with reg
ularity suggestive of military preci-
sion. 1t is said that the worms move
in regular procession, sometimes in
single file, and sometimes two, three,
or four abreast, the columns being so
perfectly formed that the head of one
is never beyond the head of another
in the row. They follow their leaders,
stopping when they stop, journeying
llOlll OlIC Jialib w hbollltl siIh lClul
ing with the same regular movements.
They vary in color and size according
to locality and age, but their charac-
teristics are constant. In length they
range from one TO one and three-quar-
tiers inches, in color they are of dark
gray, with three narrow yeIlowish
stripes above and a broader one of the
same color, OF slightly darker, on each
side. They are thinly covered with
short hairs, longer and somewhat
thicker on and about the head, this
member being of a polished honey
yellow, with network of fine dark
brown lines and black line on the
front like the letter V reversed. 1t
has sixteen legs and prodigious APP
petite, enabling it to cat twice its own
weight in twenty-four hours.
Various methods are adopted to
check the ravages of the pest. The
eommoncst and perhaps the easiest is
to plow double furrow around the
field or across any part Of the field
that they are marching toward. The
steep side of the furrow must be tow
ard the unframed portion Of the crop,
so that when the worm attempts TO
crawl up it may fall back. 1t is not
enough to run the plow once in the
turrow, it is better to do it twice or
three times, and to renew it when
washed down by the rains. Where
the soil is stiff and stony, however
steep the ridge may be, the worms
will climb over it; it is only where
the soil is light and friable that this
expedient serves the purpose Of pro-
lection. In any case it is best to have
two furtows, one couple of feet from
the other and parallel with it. When
the worms arc trapped in the burrows
they may be got rid OF by laying dry
straw down on them and setting fire
to it. Where there is danger that the
fire may extend and do damage, hogs
can be turned in, and they will make
short work of the worms. Another
method, which might be described as
the heroic process, is to run heavy
iron roller over the field, crushing the
worms under it. 1t takes but little
pressure from this TO kill them. When
the ground chances to be rough ana
uneven this method does not serve as
well, as the worms take refuge in the
hollows. The time to roll is when
they are feeding, and among the leaves
because at other times they are shell
tered and many escape. After the
crop is removed from the fields where
the worms are, hogs may be turned
in, and chickens, turkeys and ducks,
all of which will search out and de-
Your the worms. Sheep, if the flock
is a large one, will kill many of
the worms by trampling on them, if
turned into the field, and if crows and
blackbirds put in appearance they
should not be molcsted, for they will
cat the caterpillars in preference TO
the grain.
The army worm feeds on leaves,
flowers, roots, buds, seeds, and even
the wood Of plants, IN a word, any
thing Of a vegetable character.