The Newark journal., 1919-08-21

prepared by the United states Depart
ment Of Agriculture)
The army worm has cut wide
swath this year in the vicinities of
Dallas and Fort Worth, Tex Strenu-
Gus efforts to prevent its 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 IA 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 eaterpil-
lars-at times fly in great numbers for
many miles, in the direction of the
prevailing winds, and alight in body
to deposit their eggs at some place
favorable to the development Of their
offspring. This fact accounts for the
appearance of the army worm in re-
gions far removed from any known
source Of infestatlon.
How to Identify Worm.
fl1ll- army worm 10 q
nearly naked, smooth, striped cater
pillar, about one and one-half inch
long. It's general color Is usually
greenish, and the stripes, one along
each side and 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 greenisi
10 reddish brown The head is green
fsh brown, speckled with black.
"When an army of these worms il
at work in a field" says one Of thu
publications of the department o.
agriculture, which are not given TO ex
/ .aggeration or to seeking after melo
dramatic effects, 1.-THE champing OF
/ their jaws is plainly to be heard as
1 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 caterpiiiars mass to-
gether and crawl away in a body in
I search of other food. 1t is this habit
which has gained for the insect the
popular name of army worm 2"
Killing Worms in burrows.
1T is the masSng together of the
caterpillars which gives to the farmer
the chance of destroying them in great
numbers. Burrows or bitches are
plowed or dug completely around the
infested area, or directly across the
path of the advancing horde. In at
tempting to cross such bitches the
worms fall into them. and can easily
be destroyed by crushing them with
log dragged back and forth through
the ditch or furrow. If shallow post
holes are sunk in the bottom of the
ditch at intervals of about % feet
the WORMS will crawl along the ditch
bottoms and fall Into the holes, where
they may Se destroyed by crushing or
other means. If the subsoil ia of such
a nature that water penetrates it but
slowly, the post holes may be partially
filled with wafer. with a layer of coal
OIL or petroleum on the top of it. The
oil kills the worms Immediately.
Other Control Measures.
Watehfulness and quick action on
the part of farmers are essential In
all the control measures, which in
elude, In addition to the ditching
method. the following:
In case of q general invasion, give
The ground light cultivation, If pos
Sible, after the caterpillars have gone