Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1896-07-17
THE ARMY WORM.
1t Has Appeared in Several
Towns,

Including BrattleborO, Westminster,
HinsdBIe and Vernon---the Origin OF
the Pest and Methods of Fighting IL.
Farmers throughout the country are
alarmed at the ravages of the army worm.
The worst damage that has been done in
Bratteboro thus far is in Gentrevile,
where the worms made their appearance
last week, evidently coming from the north.
They appeared in large numbers in Ches-
ter Fishers field of barley, and the crop
was cut to save it from destruction. Since
then the grass on the field has been des-
stroyed as completely as If fire had swept
over it. The worms also attacked Mr..
Fishers corn. He stopped their progress
by digging trench in which large num-
bers of the worm collected and were killed
by burning. He has also used Paris green
with success in his corn field. The worms
have also done considerable damage at O.
l.. Miners and John Liscoms. Several
fields in Hinsdale and Mortified have been
attacked by the worms, and John Wright
had two acres of oats in Vernon swept
clean by them. The worst damage in this
county is at Westminster, as will be seen
by the following statement:
The Work of the Army Worm In West
minister.
The work of the army worm has fur
nished the excitement of the week. A
good deal of damage has been done, most
of ii on the upper street. As stated last
week they were first found last week We'd
nesday in piece Of oats belonging to Dan
lei Kellogg The same afternoon they
were discovered at work in piece of herd
grass on Geo. Wrights farm carried on by
Henry Wood. Almost simultaneously
they appeared on other farms, mostly in
the oats, though corn has since been at
tackled. On A. c. Wright's farm they
were found eating the leaves of the green
oats. Afterward they attacked the heads.
The oats were cut, and the worms were so
numerous that the crop was not put in the
barn but was stacked in the field. The
worms can be heard at work in the stack,
the sound being like the falling of rain on
the straw.
Among the cornfeds attacked have been
those of Fenelon Arnold, Nelson johnson
and John V. Farr. This is the sweet corn
grown for the canning factory. The
worms attack the corn at the top of the
stalk when the tasse is just growing out.
In some cases they have eaten the leaves,
leaving only the stalks and the iibrous
skeletons OF the leaves. On the whole,
however, the damage to corn has not been
| great. Clover, potatoes and tobacco have
not been touched so far.
On the johnson and Arnold farms the
oats, corn and grass look as though fire had
run over them. Where the worm crossed
| from the east side of the road to the west,
everything in their path was cleaned off.
| The worms vary in length from three.
| fourths of an inch to an inch and a-half.
| The strangest thing is that they appear all
at once fully grown. Large fiocks Of black
birds are seen feeding on them. Other
birds also prey upon the worms. The
farmers now fear for tie second and third
crops which sometimes appear
The most effective remedy, or means Of
protection, has been to pillow furrow
around fields of corn and then dig holes in
the furrow at short intervals. Into these
traps the worms fall and are unable to crawl
out. From pin. Il quart will be found
| in each hole.
At rough estimate fifty acres in all
have been attacked in Westminster. Up
to Wednesday it was thought that the dam
age to the corn crop on this tract would
not amount to more than five per cent.
Reports come that much worse damage
is being done on the Walpole side. 1t is
said that some of the farmers there are
| blowing in their crops, or what is left of
them.