The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1882-06-29
for the farmer.
THE ARMY WORN.

A description of the appearance and habits
of this worm rs well as the methods OF destroy
inc IL, will undoubtedly be interesting TO many
readers we make a few extracts from letter
written by correspondent from Tennessee Tor
The CHItirdtor and Country Gentleman. He be-
,,ins the letter by saying that the prospect for
GOOD corn and wheat crops is very fine, bat FAR
mers are not content, saying:
s.The army worm has come, and We viii he
ruined. The army worm originates in old inea-
dow lands more particularly, and where there
are no meadows in n neghborhood, hear of no
worms They travel from the meadows 10 the
wheat, oats rye, barley and corn. If the wheat,
rye and barley are past the bloom, and making
| tie grain when attacked by the worm, tie grain
| il oftener benefited by being stripped Of the
blades than injured. Oats, if attacked, are gen
/ orally ruined-so is the corn; both being very
| tender plants, the worms go for them heavily.
] will describe the worm for the benefit of those
! who are unacauanted with him. He j. bald
| headed, welI-formed, black body, with two IA
Their yellow than white stripes nom head to tail.
When full grown il is a forth less in size than
common pencil, and when ready to deposit MS
| cotton is rather yellow, and is very clumsy or
slow but in almost constant motion and very
| hungry eating rapidly until he disappears.
| Where he goes do not know he simply goes
| ont Of sight find no holes that he eau 90 in
| tn and do not find him dead On the ground.
Where does he go tot walked the ditch two
hours, this evening, and the foregoing isthe best
| description can give you:
| ale is might say, rather an innOcent-look-
| ing worm and has not the hideOus look of the
1 cut and measuring worms. The force upon my
| farm have been giving him battle for four or hve
days. First, between my wheat field and mea-
dows, and corn field and meadows, ditched,
| throwing the earth out on the meadow side, and
| making the side next the wheat corn slanting
under 50 that when the worms came into the
ditch, which they do by thousands and millions
| they attempt to crawl ont on the corn and wheat
side, and fall back, aud when collected in the
| ditch, we hitch mule or horse to u small log
| of wood and draw il up and down the ditch, and
mash the army to death. With little care they
never pass the ditch. As before stated, they
| never originate in the wheat or corn field
| unless the wheat has been sown on an old
meadow. But if they do get into the wheat,
| then there is only one mode Of lighting them,
| and that IL by the old Virginia mode. The
worms crawl up the stalk and strip the blades of
~ to the head, if you will stand idly by and
permit them to do so. To prevent this is almost
too cheap and simple TO relate. The worm is
very clumsy, and the least shock preeipitates
them to the ground, aud while there he does lit
tie or damage.
ssTake rope from fifty to one hundred feet
long and weight in the middle, and put a man
or boy at each end Of it, and let them pass the
rope over the field each day. so long as the
| worm lives, which is usually ten days, and you
will save the field from injury. The fat fellows
are never able 10 make second trip up til,
stalk; one trip with the rope is sufficient with
that day REPETITION of this operation once d
day. for ten days, will save the crop; and it Il
easier and cheaper than ditching i have sue
ceeded in keeping them, so far, out of my wheat
: | so have no occasion to nse the rope practice
. but others using it every day, including Sun
i DAY, and report success"