The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1896-07-31
THE ARnY WORT.
Prof. Lugger Describes the Pest and
Tells How to Fight 1t.

The army worm has. within the last
few days, shown itself in a number of
localities in this region. Our readers
will be interested in knowing what
Prof. Otto Lugger, state entOmologist,
has to say about it. He has been max
ing study OF the pest for some time.
In fact, he is at present ill at his
home as result of his work in the
/ sun watching the worm at it's work.
Prof Lugger mas acquired an amount
of valuable information about the in
sect, but what is most important to
the farmers is that his study has de-
velOped remedy, which has the ad-
vantage of being very simple and east
ly applied. He says:
"My remedy is based on the fact
! that the army worms always move in
the same general direction. They get
their name from their habit of NOV
ing across the country in large num-
berS, The farmer can use this trait
of the worm for it's destruction. By
moving wide Swatn between the
fields infested and the fields toward
which the worms are travelling, and
then blowing deep furrow, with it's
wide side toward the field to be pro-
tected, we have an excellent trap,
which can be improved according to
the conditions of the ground by max
ing holes with crOWbar into which
the worms tumble. In most cases
this deep furrOw or ditch is sufficient,
but if the number of worms is very
large, a second furrOw should be made
parallel to the first in SUCH way that
the earth is thrown into the first fur
row. In this way the worms that
have fallen into the first furTow are
killed and buried, and we have also
| new line of defense. This is simply
general plan of the. scheme, and any,
one with ingenuity can modify it to
make it more effective. In fact near
ly every army worm remedy is modi-
fication of this scheme. If the furrow
is kept dusty it forms barrier which
few worms can scale.
cit is sometimes recommended to
spray with Paris green the plants in
the course of the worm. This seems
to me an excellent remedy in theory,
but l have thus far failed to receive
good results from it.
'There is this consolation for the
farmers. The army worm is not like
ly to reappear for some time, unless
the spring of 1897 happens to be ex-
ceptiOnally wet again.
''The army worm is common, not
only in this state, where nearly every
county is more or less seriously invad-
ed, but it is found as far east as Penn
sylvania. The army worm, under
normal conditions, is nothing but a
cut worm, and nearly all the damage
| it causes is done in that shape. Only
n nd in re fol
lowing a wet spring do they become
the end OF larvel period do they
band themselves together and
SEEK NEW PASTURES.
"These armies do not do as much
damage as one would suppose from
! their large numbers, because about
the time the armies are formed the
blades of such plants as wheat, oats
and barley are unsuited for animal
food or have already been eaten
Therefore the only material damage
| the worm can cause is by eating the
only green part, the chaff. This is
apt to expose the kernel, causing it
to shrivel. The worms also eat the
| branches eff the panicles Of oats,
which suffer in consequence.
| 1.-THE farmer has valuable allies in
| his war on the army worm. If you
examine the worms you will find that
about one out of every three is infest-
ed with parasites. 1t has from one
to six minute cream-colored eggs fast
ened behind it's head. They are put
there by d fly which looks very much
| like well fed ommon house fly. The
| fights between the worms and the flies
are exceedingly interesting, The flies
posit their eggs. and whenever one
comes near a worm 1t twists and con-
forts it's body and elects nasty fluid