The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1882-06-22
Enemies of the Crops.

/ Il Enemies Of the Crops.
| 1t seems to be the general impression that
the small insect, or nudge, which has recently
appeared in the wheat throughout this section
has not damaged it materially. In the oats
however, they have made fearful Tavages, al
most completely destroying some parts OF
fields. In many places large spots are left
perfectly barren of green blades, and looking
ms if the ground. had been burned over by fire
1t is stated that the insect has also proven
very destructive to rye, but the general opln-
ion OF the farmers, SO far as we have been
able to learn, is that the rye is not hurt.
An enemy to the crops far worse than the
nudge has made its appearance in vast num-
bers in various localities throughout the coun-
ty and State 1t is the Army Worm, one OF
the most destructive of the insect tribe. 1t IS
a small worm about the size of a tree caterpil-
lar, of light brown color and gray stripes.
The average length is about three-quarters OF
an inch, though some of them are double that
length. They differ from the caterpillar in that
they are smooth and slick without the fur OF
the caterpillar. These worms travel in columns
and are moving eastward. They have been
Unable to injure the wheat, because of the
size and hardness of the straw. Here and
there a few heads have been devoured. but as
a general thing they have confined their at
tention to the destruction of the blades and in
some few instances have eaten the boards. 1t
is the young grass, however, that has suffered
most. The lineof their march can be distinct
ly determined at distance. The ground
gone over is left blistered and bare. The
only green things that remain in the wake
Of their march are.weeds and, clover. They
do not cat the cloverat all, but clean the timo-
thy and blue grass totale roots. They appear
in countless numbers, and move with the reg
ularity of well disciplined army. The only
things that have been found to destroy them
in numbers are chickens and hogs, but when
they come out by the million, nothing seems
to be able to Withstand them.
We notice from our exchanges that the same
pests have been seen in various sections. The
last Lexington Gazette has the following from
Mr.. J. D. Morrison:
Last Saturday visited the farm of DR.. G.
G. Dawson, below Lexington, and saw the
worms and specimen Of their work. Mr..
Percy Dawson showed me q large field of corn
which, with the exception of the part attacked
by the insects, had on fine stand, whist or
that space about four or five acres, tn e ground
was as bare as the big road. He told me that
it was all done in one night. They had come
out of a wheat field, and the fence rows where
they had crossed, which I was told a few days
before were covered with high grass and weeds,
looked just as if the ground had been burned
over. The wheat, think, is not materially
injured, because of being too far advanced
and the straw too hard for them, but all the
green blades were trimmed and even the
boards on many OF the heads were as clean
shaver as if first-class barber had operated
on them.
DThe worm itself looks like the common cut
worm but of a lighter color and whtish
stripe on the sides. In size it is about the
same, but more slender, with quick, lively
motion. 1t was in the heat of the day when
l examined them and they were hiding from
the hot sun under every clod or stone that
would give them shelter. Mr. DAWSON had
cut bitches around to stop their march, which
seemed to- have effected the purpose very
much. The ditch was made by running al fur
row with two horse pow with the perpen-
dicular side towards the ground intended to
be protected. In attempting to climb up they
fall back, and in places the turrow was alive
with them.& a Il
The following is an extract of letter from
prominent citizen OF Rockbridge county,
written to Messrs. A. Y. Stokes s. Co., of
Richmond:
Our farmers in this county are terribly af-
1icted with the milk-midges and the army
worm. The wheat is too far advanced to be
hurt by the former, and we hope also by the
latter. But oats are hurt seriously by the
midges. One of our neighbors had three
acres of corn utterly destroyed by the army
Worm in one night. He ploughed deep
trench to protect the remainder of his field,
and the next morning he found millions in the
trench, roped up as thick as his arm, which
he killed by ploughing. ] had three acres of
meadow grass--timothy stripped of every
blade, the stem standing alone. One portion
OF our wheat field has large number of the
army-worm in it, but the wheat is too hard
and too near maturity to be hurt. Had they
appeared ten days earlier the crop might have
been destroyed, The army-worm ia also in
our meadow, in Which we have twenty five
acres of the finest timothy and clover, which
ought to yield from one ton to one anu ahalf
tons per acre. The worm does not disturb the
clover, but takes the timothy. 1t crawls up
the stalk, and in one swallow strips every
blade from the stem. The only remedy seems
to be to plough deep ftlrrow around your
field before they get into it. They cannot
crawl up steep side Of the furrow, and they
will gather in the ditch in one night by mil
lions. We then cover the ditch with straw
and burn them. Some drag heavy log along
the trench and mash them to DEATH Others
plough them in like manner
Our people are much disturbed. and we
may all haYe to cut our timothy too soon as
the only means of saving it.
The Baltimore american publishes the fol-
lowing:
Information received from a number of
counties on the south side ofVirginia is to the
effect that the oat crop is completely ruined
by insects, entalling heavy losses upon the
farmers. Wheat is looking splendid.
From other sections of the State similar re-
ports come.