Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1896-07-22
THE ARMY WORM.
The Vermont Agricultural Experiment Station
Bulletin,

The Vermont Agricultural Experiment Station
Bulletin.
This pest is appearing at many places in
the Connecticut valley, thought its depreda-
tons are the worst at Westminster, where
it has already done thousands of dollars
damage. 1t has appeared in the vicinity
of Rutland.
The subject is Of SO much Importance to
farmers that we print the bulletin in full.
Within the past few days numerous reports
from several portions of the state have been
received at the station concerning the ravages
of an insect which proves upon investigation
to be the army worm. On this account it
has been thought best to issue through the
newspapers of the state some account of the
pest with suggestions as to remedies.
The army worm is the immature state of
moth often seen flying about in the evening
one-half to two inches across the spread
wings. The general color of the front wings
is delicate gray-brown, infinitely dotted
with black, and there are two rather large
spots of reddish tint on each front wing.
The hind wings are thin and of grayish
tint. These moths lay their eggs, some of
them in the fall, more in the spring, on the
inside of folded leaves of grasses or between
the sheath and stalk, on old hay or straw
stacked in fields, on old cornstalks, or if such
places are lacking, on growing grain or grass.
When they first hatch, the worms are light
colored and very small and for some time
afterwards they are very inconspicuous and
not likely to be noticed. This is especially
| true because they usually live on sod where
they are concealed by the thick grass. Here
| they may remain year after year unknown
| because unseen, but if a season is especially
q q, f1a.,. AMI
crease very rapidly and creep from the grass
| to cultivated fields where they are more
noticeable. Hence they seem to appear sud
denly every few years, although they have
been living in the locality during the whole
| time. Dry seasons are especially favorable
| to the increase of this insect and they are I'M
usually abundant in a wet season Immediately
| following dry one.
| The full grown worm is from one and one
quarter to one and one-half inches long. The
surface of the body is smooth as ordinarily
seen, though a magnifying glass reveals scat
tered hairs. The upper part OF the body is
marked by rather complicated series of lines
and the whole surface seen with magnifying
glass looks speckled.
Along the back is rather wide band of
dull black, shading on each side to grayish
tint. Then in succession, there is, on each
| side, narrow black line, a very narrow
white line, wider yellowish stripe, a narrow
white line, dusky, or blackish stripe, mar
| row white line. a reddish yellow band, a
white line, and, finally, the greenish under
| surface. This is the color of a full grown
specimen which is before me as write, but
the distinctness and shading of the lines and
stripes vary in different individuals, espec-
tally if they are of different ages. The head
is glossy, of light brown color, marked on
| the sides with sort of network of darker
| brown. From the upper edge two black lines
pass downwards diverging to each side of the
| n,,f !, ,1ar do N
are six true legs, while farther back are eight
thicker false legs, and at the very end of the
body another pair of the same sort. When
disturbed the worms usually coil up on the
| side and lie motionless for some time but
they may throw themselves about very Wig
orously. In appearance and in many OF their
habits these worms are much like some OF the
cut worms for which they may readily be
mistaken. After reaching their full growth
the worms go into the ground and change to
pup9.
There is probably but one annual brood in
Vermont and it is not likely that this insect
will ever make great ravages during success
sive years, that is, a year OF depreciation is
almost certain to be followed by greater or
less number of years during which the worms
are scarcely seen. This is because of their
numerous natural enemies, of unfavorable
| conditions of climate and of other conditions,
| which usually prevent their great increase.
| They prefer the night cloudy days for
feeding, especially in the younger stages,
though they do cat to some extent during the
day time, and l have seen them actively at
work in bright sunshine at midday. Their
food usually consists of grasses and grains
| Timothy, blue grass, wheat and oats seem to
be preferred: corn is well liked, while rye
barley and millet are sometimes, but not com
monty, eaten. They do not like clover anc
attack it only when better food is wanting
nor do they eat the head of grain, preferrins
| the leaves. When very numerous and hare
pressed by hunger they will eat anything
even each other, but their ordinary food il
that just named.
REMEDIES While it is not necessary to b.
unduly alarmed because of the appearance o
the army worm in large numbers it is no
wise to neglect any method which may bt
used for their destruction. The most effcen
remedy, when it is possible to use it, is Paris
green mixed with water, one pound to l5(
gallons of water, well stirred. Corn ant
other such crops can be poisoned with thi
mixture, and strip few feet wide around ;
grass or grain field well sprinkled with i
would either prevent worms which were in
/ Testing adjacent fields from getting into the
protected field, or, if they were already in
| from getting out and infesting other fields, a:
the worms in crossing the poisonous STRIP
would eat and be killed. Such poisoning
even If the crop were thrown away woulG
abundantly repay the farmer for all loss, by
the destruction of the worm, but, in mos
cases certainty, IL tIlc crop WERE 10 grow eN
posed to rains or winds for a month or more
too little poison would remain to be danger
GUS to stock. Of course, recently poisoned
fodder should not be used, and in any cast
careful examination before using would bt
wise. To prevent the worms from passing
from one field to another barriers which have
been found very useful have been made by
setting line Of fence boards on edge between
the fields thus catching the worms as they
crawled or tried to crawl over. A deep fur
row ploughed about field, especially if The
side of the furrow next the field to be pro
J tected can be sloped inwards and the sol
kept loose and crumbling, proves good bar
rier and any furrow in any soil would bt
effectual if coal tar be laid along the deepes
parts. Fields may also be protected by sur
rounding them with belt a few inches wide
of mixture of thirty to forty parts of meal o.
bran with one part of Paris green. Finally
it is very important that late in the fall al
stubble, straw, stalks and rubbish of whateve
kind which may be in the fields that hav'
been infested be burned, as well as weeds
and grass which have grown near such fields
l do not think that our Vermont climate il
, usually favorable to the growth of the army
. worm in such numbers as will often prov,
destructive to any great extent, and believe
, that by carefully following the suggestion
here given the Vermont farmers will be able
to prevent any prolonged or extensive losses
of their crops from this insect.
g. II. PERKINS,
Entomologist.
Vermont Agricultural Experiment Station,
pnrl;noton VT .Jn1y Ii 1895.