The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1919-08-01
prepared by the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture.)

prepared by the united states Depart
ment of Agriculture.)
The army worm has cut a wide
swath this year in the vicinities Of
Dallas and Fort Worth. Tex. Strenu-
Gus efforts to prevent it's spread have
been made, and absence of other re-
ports gives ground for the hope that
it may not appear elsewhere this sum
mer, but United States department of
agriculture entomologists urge all
farmers In all states east of the Rocky
mountains to remain on the watch for
the pest until cool weather comes next
autumn.
There are usually three generations
of caterpillars-the form in which the
pest greatly damages crops by feeding
upon them-in a year, but seldom or
never are there two successive out
breaks in any one locality. The in
sects usually appear in the fields very
suddenly, and it seems certain that the
NOTES.-The parents of the caterpil-
lars-at times fly in great numbers for
many miles, in the direction OF the
prevailing winds, and alight in body
10 uGDOSlL LLCh CS6o ob oSAaS RAANS
favorable to the development of their
| offspring. This fact accounts for the
appearance of the army worm in re-
g;ons far removed from any known
source of infestation.
How to Identify Worm
The fuIl-grown army worm is
nearly naked, smooth, striped cater
pillar, about one and one-half inch
long. Its general color is usually
greenish, and the stripes, one along
each side and a broad one down the
center of the back, are dark and often
nearly black. The stripe along the
back usually has fine, light-colored
broken stripe running down its cen
ter. The color of the body between
the dark stripes varies from greenish
to reddish brown. The head is green
ish brown, speckIed with black.
"When an army Of these worms is
at work in field" says one of the
publications of the department of
agriculture, which are not given to ex-
aggeration or to seeking after melo-
dramatic effects, "the champing of
their jaws is plainly to be heard as
they greedily devour every blade in
sight. In this stage the army worm
frequently consumes all of the food
supply near the place where it has
developed from the eggs. When such
Is the case the caterpillars mass to-
gether and crawl away in body in
search of other food. 1t is this habit
which has gained for the insect the
popular name of army worm"
Killing Worms in Burrows.
IT is the massing together of the
caterpillars which gives to the farmer
the chance of destroying them in great
numbers. burrows or bitches are
pIowed or dug completely around the
infested area, or directly across the
path of the advancing horde. In at
tempting TO cross s.lch bitches the
worms fall into them, and can easily
be destroyed by crushing them witt
n log dragged back and forth through
the ditch or furrow. If shallow pos
holes are sunk in the bottom of the
ditch at intervals of about 20 feet
the worms will crawl along the ditcf
bottoms and fall into the holes, where
they may be destroyed by crushing o.
other means. If the subsoil is of sucf
a nature that water penetrates it hu
slowly, the post holes may be partially
filed with water, with layer of Goa
oil or petroleum on the top of 1t. Tit
oil kills the worms Immediately.
other Control Measures.
Watchfulness and quick action OF
the part of farmers are essential II
all the control measures, which in
clude, ia addition to the ditchinl
, method, the following:
In case of a general invasion, Civ,
! the ground a light cultivation, if pos
sible, after the caterpillars have gon