The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1882-07-28
TIE ARMY WORM.

AS q description of the appearance
and habits OF this worm. SIS well as the
methods of destroying it, will undoubt-
edly be interesting to many readers, We
make few extracts from letter writ
ten by a correspondent in Tennessee to
the CtlltiUdtor and Country Gentleman.
He begins the letter by saving that the
prospects for good corn and wheat crops
are very fine, but thaHfarmers are not
content, saying
1.-THE army-woTm has come and we
will be ruined. The army-worm origi-
mates in old meadow lands more paTtic-
ularlv, and where there are no meadows
in the neightorhood hear Of no worms.
They travel from the meadows to the
wheat, oats, rye, barley and corn, If
the wheat. rye and barley are past the
bloom, and making the grain when at
tackled by the worm, the grain is often
benefited by being stripped of the blades
than injured. Oats, if attacked are gen.
orally ruined-so is corn both being
very tender plants, the worms go for
them heavily. l will describe the worm
for the benefit of those who are Unac-
quainted with him He is bald-headed,
well formed, black body, with two rath-
er yellow than white stripes from head
to tail. When full grown it is fourth
less in size than common pencil, and
when ready to deposit his cotton is yell
low and very clumsy and slow, but in
almost constant motion and very hungry
eating rapidly until he disappears
Where he goes / do not know he sim
ply goes out Of sight. 1 find no holes
that he goes into, nor do find him dead
on the ground. Where does he go?
walked the ditch two hours this evening
and the foregoing is the only description
l can give you.
He is. might say, rather an inno-
cent looking worm, and has not the hi
deous look of the cut and measuring
worms. The wOIkmeu upon my farm
have been giving him battle for four OF
five DAYS. First between nv wheat
field and meadows, and corn field and
meadows, we ditched, throwing the
earth out on the meadow side, and max
ing the side next to the wheat and corn
slanting under, so that when the worms
come into the ditch, which they do by
the thOusands'and millions, they attempt
to crawl out on the corn and wheat side,
and fall back, and when collected in the
ditch we hitch a mule or Orse to a log
of wood and draw it up and down the
ditch and mash the enemy to DEATH
With little care they never pass the
ditch. As l before stated, they never
originate in wheat or corn field, unless
the wheat has been sown on an old mea-
dow. But if they do get into the wheat
there is only one mode of fighting them,
and that is by the old Virginia mode.
The worms crawl up the stalk and strip
the blades off up to the head, if you viii
stand idly by and let them do so. To
prevent this is almost too cheap and
simple to relate. The worm is very
clumsy and the least shock precipitates
him to the ground, and while there he
does little or no damage.
Take rope from fifty to one hun
dred feet in length 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 once a 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 to make a sec
Ond trip up the stalk one trip is suffi-
cient with that crop; and it is easier
and cheaper than ditching. l have sue
ceeded in keeping them so far out of
my wheat; so L have no occasion to
use the rope practice, but others are US
ing it every day; including Sunday, and
report success.