New-York tribune., 1880-06-20
MARCH OF THE ARMY WORM.
THE INVASION OF CONNECTICUT.

THE INVASION OF CONNECTICUT.
SOMETHING LIKE A PANIC AMONG The FARMERs-
WHOLESALE DESTRUCTION or PASTURES AND
GRAIN FIKLpS-ATTACKS ON BARNS AND HOUSES.
FRoM AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT or THE rftIBuSEJ
DANBURY, Conn.,, June 19.-The army Wolm'
which has recently been the terror OF De'a"are'
New,Jesey and Long Island is making very rap
id progress through the great green iaFms "a
the North. The seourge made its appearance SUD
denly I'm Port Chester and Greenwich Ias1
week Friday the worms appearing apparently ln D "o
ment and marching onward Ike deVOurins army
On Saturday they appeared in limited numbers III c.ra
ford and Fairfield, Bridgeport Conn., anu on soh
day the lrst were found in Newton adjoining Danoury'
I'm the towns around Hartford and In Branford Cnton'
Hamden Madison, Orange, and other towns near New
Haven They have hatched out and grown with incred
BILE rapdty and the feeling in OF the towns SPOKEN
OF had reached yesterday almost the proportions Oh
panic. AZ the havoc confined TO tue speciai IsrHs
which are the objects Of their visitation, many FARMERS
only mile or so distant still skeptcal and 1t Is CON-
mon TO hear an ncredulous citizen at the Post once
declare with much posltiveness that there isn't an
arny worm in Connecticut but there Is melancholy
probability that such may yet be convinced
In Port Chester Messrs Joseph Parks, Colonel Barrow
W. g. Hayiland and John N. Thord are perfectly saUs
fed of the reality of the army for their farms
are being devoured at the present moment Ine suner
ers IN Newton up to last evening were Messrs FredercH
Sanford william Tcrrill and Charles f. Beardsley On
Tuesday the worms attacked three fields OF rye belong
ing to them and by Thursday the grain bad Deen aoS
completely destroyed though Mr. Terrell mas harvester
his to save the straw This policy being Ioho~eu Wy
his neighbors extent aud some FARMERS IN a'i
parts of tho State gone to moving their immature
meadows through fear they Will otherwise prove
total loss In NewtOwn the worms have now leu tne
rye having appropriated every head and are atIaeAns
the meadows in force.
Tup TnIRuNH reporter was told by farmer that he
Int f1,aa anapQ w
by his hand and 57 the space OF one square foOt In
soe places they get so thick and so last thaS the
moro than cover the entire surface OF the ground anu
tumble over and each other, the Whole SOIL seeming
TO be a moving mass OF lire farmer whose rye tney
had eaten describes their march as irresBDlo ne
10 stop them turn them aside, but they maue
forward 10 the nearest herbage They climbed over
stone fences a solid squTmnR mass OF grey, many yarus
wide and the length f the whole obstruction covering
n mn like blanket Sometimes they leave an exhausted
field ana take to the road, II under intelligent guld-
ance and follow the road until anOtner M noi S
as aroe arond as rye straw and has whitlsh head,
but hey are OF all Sizes the smallest which are just
| hutched being scarcely perceptble.
In one instance they attacked barn ana ave eVery-
thing green aud some Of the OLD nay Al P0t. Snes10r
they attacked Mr. Parkss mouse, anu II
stan vigilance and great activity with Drooms snOVes
anu ANN oneG III Port Chester have 24OO OF fine
land. and the invaders arc eagerly SpreauihR 'nen-
Some of the fcids in Newtown are literally covered
| with worms Half q dozen sometimes take possession
! II Slb
inhabited by two three. The worm DurrOW5 into ~
and eyOurs s substance, whlo hHlt dozen Tess suc-
crss foraRers its roots. some OF the neua
look ns If lire had passed them. aud II IS propaDe
that the grass In many cases killed naKnH
rfsceding necessity farmer In falrneIu saiut Our-
rlage-whcelS nutcd by the worms passeu oFeT eo
I'M re vehicle IA nOlseles" They eat rye oats, grass
aud corn win great avdty, but potatotops are nor
! NV On nrouna a field. Tobacco Is untOurhed
ms theory ~ Professor RlleY and Dr Fitch tnat tney
orgnatc I'm swanp; and that low lands are most naDe
t their attacks does 10 lie cOniTinPu III CCu-
] aut uha
hayn generally as Port Chester and Rocky hil peen
The nrst struck A WesbrOOk farmer says he has ais
cnvrrd that the worms to the neat or the
,i do the most Of their mischief IN the early holl
IN. md the shades Of evening. He adds " IEoy Dur
rIy into e tender shoots having ensconced themselves
thpru out III Ot the suns ry- Keep up iie'L
,nting util the stalk hollow and the ne gone eJ
thrn gct out ~ mat and crawl q the next Sa, anu u
come her worm has clCnret that ont hleAn O tneIn
| tbcy crawl on to ind another not eaten" heine1u
tric nr yarou4. stamping to death - rTsorted TO- nu
is not effective. the worms gro" ana auShnce sv
thnp me dps:luyers XIII them. FLOWING dltcu
orrrr1 ihc army and hlnz with tar Is much recon-
| meudpd hut IN one case the worms mnrched ste"ly
ina Inc ditch TN IL full, and then the rear Oh Tue
yst most crossed tue bo lies Of their dead cOmraueS