DIKED SALT MARSHES. 253 



motlis liibernate and oviposit soon after vegetation starts in 

 spring. The eggs are inserted between the sheath and stalk, 

 or secreted in the fold of a blade. Mature and perennial 

 grasses are preferred for this purpose by the female. The 

 worms abound in wet springs preceded by one or more very 

 dry years. They are preyed upon by numerous enemies, 

 which so effectually check their increase, whenever they 

 unusually abound, that the second brood, where it occurs, 

 is seldom noticed; and two great army-worm years have 

 never followed each other, and are not likely to do so. 

 They may be prevented from invading a field by judicious 

 ditching ; and the burning over of a field in winter or early 

 spring effectually prevents their hatching in such field. 



Professor Goessmann presented the following report : — 



THE IMPEOVEHIENT OF SALT-MAESHES IN THE TOWN OF 



MAESHFIELD. 



The increase of the area under cultivation has not been 

 quite as marked during the past year as was anticipated at 

 the close of the preceding season. Various circumstances 

 have largely contributed towards that result. The wet 

 weather during the spring kept the grounds too soft to per- 

 mit an early ploughing and harrowing. The subsoil water, 

 in consequence of frequent rains, rose considerably above the 

 comparatively low level of the prevailing season, and injured 

 more or less some of the crops on account of its still saline 

 character, in particular throughout the lower portions of the 

 marshes. In some few instances the crops failed entirely ; in 

 the majority of these cases they suffered in a sufficient de- 

 gree to fall largely behind good average crops. As a large 

 area of the lands still yields remunerative grass and grain 

 crops by a mere harrowing of the surface, the more expen- 

 sive ploughing is frequently deferred to some future season, 

 when the more advanced disintegration of the accumulated 

 vegetable matter shall leave no other chance for a successful 

 cultivation than a thorough breaking-up of the spongy sur- 

 face matter. As two succeeding wet seasons have kept the 

 old sod in a better state of preservation than dry seasons 

 would have accomplished, the necessity of ploughing the 



