Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1882-07-13
Remedies Against the Army
Worm.

Remedies Against the Army
Worm.
by Prof C. V. Riley.
To meet q general demand that
will probably be felt and made for the
best means of coping with the army
worm, would here repeat in con-
densed form what | have in previous
years recommended. Experience has
established the fact that burning over
meadow, or prairie, or field of stub
BILE, either in winter or spring, usually
prevents the worms from originating
in such meadow or field. Such burn
ing destroys the previous years stalks
and blades, and, as consequence of
what | have already stated, the MIDI
which the female moth. prefers. Burn
ing as preventive, however, loses
much of its practical importance un-
less it is pursued annually, because of
the irregularity in the appearance of
the worm is injurious numbers, judi
cious ditching, e., ditch with the
side toward the field to be protected
perpendicular or sloping under, will
protect a field from invasions from
some other infested region when the
worms are marching. When they
are collected in the ditch they may
be destroyed either by covering them
up with earth that is pressed upon
them by burning straw over them,
or by pouring a little coal oil in the
ditch. 4 single plow furrow, six or
eight inches deep and kept triable by
dragging brush in it, has also been
known To head them of.
From experiments which | have
made | am satisfied that where fence
lumber can be easily obtained it may
be used to advantage as q substitute
for the di ch or trench. 10y being Sc
cured on Jdgr aud then smeared with
kerosene or coal tar (the latter being
more particularly uscfnD along the
upper edAt. BY means of la,hs and
few nails the boards may be 50
secured that they will slightly slope
away from the field to he protected.
Such Il barrier will prove ,tlcctual
where the worms are not persistent
or numerous. When they are cXrcs-
sively abundant they will need 10 he
watched and occasionally dosed with
kerosene to prevent their piling up
even with the top of the board and
thus bridging the barrier. The lum-
ber is not injured for other purposes
subsequently,.
The poisoning by the spraying OF
London purple or Paris green water
(made according to the wcll-known
tormula) of few of the outer rows
of non infested field that is threat
ened by invasions from an adjoining
one, may under some circumstances,
be warrented as an expedition and
cheap mode of destruction. Finally,
Mr.. j. w. Sparks, of Mnrfrcesboro,
Tenn, has just sent me The following
experience which | give Sr what it is
worth.
"The Army-worm is making such
inroads upon the wheat crops here in
Middle Tennessee, | thought would
write you and give the process have
for Kidding the wheat of these vsga-
bonds. take a rope about sixty
feet long and cause two men to walk
through the wheat field dragging the
rope over the wheat. BY this means
you can 60 over large field of wheat
in few hours. The rope, dragging
over the wheat, shakes the worms off
on the ground and they curl up and
lie there for half an hour or more
seems to be mad about it-and
then begin to move about hunting
something to eat; but the larger ones
are unable to climb the wheat stalks
with all the blades off so that you can
get rid of the larger ones the first
time going over, and the smaller ones
can be shaken off so often that they
cannot hurt the wheat. Ii you will
make known this simple plan to the
sections where the worm is at work
the people can yet save ther wheat.
| am satisfied | will save mine.
am going over my whole crop twice
a day.
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