Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1916-06-07
CONTROL Army WORM
Vigilance Is the Farmers Best
Protection Against This De
structiye Caterpillar.
NO WARNING OF PRESENCE
Originates i'm the South and Travels
NOrthWard As the Summer
Advances.

The army worm has robbed the
American farmer persistently in the
nast and there is every reason to ex-
pect that it will continue to attempt
to rob him in future Unremitting
vigilance in the spring and early sum-
mer is his best protection, for it is
characteristic of the worm to give no
warning of its approach, says the Gov
eminent Bulletin.
1t appears with great suddenness
in fields far removed from any known
sOurse of infestation and is capable of
doing great damage before its pres
ence is detected.
In this respect the true army worm
differs from the fall army worm or
overflow worm" and grass worm"
as the latter is sometimes called. This
insect always originates in the South
and travels nOrthward as the summer
advances The most of the true army
worm, on the other hand, appears to
be present in small numbers over
most of the United States east of the
Rock Mountains during some period
of the year. Serious invasions may
be made from any direction, but in
general the outbreaks are the COM
monest after cold, backward springs,
and the caterpillaFs are to be found
first in neglected portions of the fields
among rank grOwths of grasses and
lodged and fallen unripe grain. Such
places should be examined frequent
~. opIy
in July.
When first Matched, the caterpiIlars
are very tiny greenish things which
consume little food They feed close
to the ground and are so sheltered by
Overhanging grain and grass that they
may easily escape the eye of the farm
eT. If he detects the colony at this
stage, however, he can save himself
much loss by the prompt use of arsnic
sprays or by burning straw over the
infested spot.
In from three to four weeks the tiny
greenish worm has become a full
grown army worm, a nearly naked,
smooth-striped caterpillar, about IL
inches long, with dark stripes along
each side and down the center of the
back. The color of the body varies
from greenish to reddish brown and
the head is a greenish brown speckled
with black In this stage the insect
is vOraciOus beyond belief The ten
der portions of the leaves, the imma- |
ture seeds and sprouts, even the
plants down to the very ground, are
all devOured and the champing Of the I
worms jaws may be heard as they |
work their way through the farmers /
crop. When there is nothing more to /
eat in that neighborhOod the cater +
pillars collect in dense masses and I
march off in search of richer spoils.
1t is this habit which has given /
them the name of army worm. It al
so. however, permits the farmer to /
destroy them in great numbers by T
crushing them after they have fallen
into bitches dug across their line of
march
For this purpose the bitches Or fur
rows should be dug around the in
tested area. Once the worms have
fallen into these, a log may be drag
ged back and forth, killing them
wholesale. Shallow post holes, too, |
are frequently dug at intervals of 20
feet or so in the bottom of the ditcbes.
Crawling along the bottom the worms
come to these holes and fall in. In
this way great masses are collected
in one spot, and it is an easy matter
to kill them. One method is to pour
water into the holes and cover it with
a layer of oil
On infested areas not intended for
forage a spray made of 1 pound of
Paris green to so gallons of water, or
with 2 pounds Of arsenate of lead to
so gallons of water may sometimes be
used to advantage. Heavy applica-
tiOns of this solution should be made,
and care must be taken to keep stock
from gaining access to the poisoned
grass With tender plants 2 pounds
of freshly slaked lime should be add
ed to the mixture to prevent burning.
Still another popular of control is
the use of poisoned bats. An efficient
one may be prepared from so pounds
Of wheat bran, pound of Paris green,
or . pounds of arsenate or lead and
the juice of a half dozen oranges or
lemons. Low-grade molasses is then
added to bring the mass to stiff
dough and the mixture scattered
broadcast. This can be done safely
i'm alfalfa and corn fields that are to
be used for forage.
The best method Of all, however, is
to catch the worms before they have
had chance to become full grown and
to spread over any wide area. The
fields Of growing grain and grass
should be searched carefully, especial
~ the meadows planted in timothy,
millet and blue gress. The thicker
and longer the growth the more like
Nv the worms are to be present and
the harder il is to find them.