51 
AN OUTBREAK OF THE ARMY WORM IN MARYLAND. 
BY J. ALSTON MOFFAT. 
It is seldom that we get an account of a remarkable occurrence in any 
department of life from a reliable eye-witness so competent to convey to others 
the facts seen by himself as is to be found in the following extracts taken from 
the report given by Mr. W. H. Ashmead to the United States Government, through 
the Entomological Department at Washington. 
Fic. 21. Fra. 22. 
Although Lewcania wnipuncta (Fig. 21, the moth; Fig. 22, the caterpillar,) is a 
permanent resident in Ontario, and is frequently found quite abundant, it has 
never been reported as attracting special attention from its destructive effects on 
farm products here; and yet there does not appear to be any reason why it may 
not at some time do so. 
The army worm has caused great loss in the Maritime Provinces, whilst in 
New York State and Massachusetts, where the climatic conditions must very 
closely resemble our own, it has been at times particularly destructive, whole 
fields being utterly ruined by it. Mr. Scudder made a calculation from what he 
saw, that there must have been at least two million worms to the acre, destroying 
an entire field in ten or twelve days. Therefore Mr. Ashmead’s vivid description 
of the tremendous power of a combined attack of these despised creatures, should 
arouse those interested to the terrible possibility that may be awaiting them, and 
to guard themselves as much as possible against it, for it is a well known fact 
that slovenly farming is a great source of encouragement to all kinds of pests. 
The army worm had a public reputation long before the moth, which gave 
tise to the destructive hordes, was certainly known to be the parent of all the 
mischief. lt was about the year 1861 that the late Prof. Fitch unmistakably 
traced the connection between the two, and since then, by the careful industry 
of others, its life history has been well worked out, but previously many 
unfortunate moths had to bear the blame for that of which they were not cuilty ; 
and even yet the justly dreaded army worm is at times reported to have made its 
appearance and causes great consternation in a locality, where, if the nature and 
habits of different insects were better known, it would be readily seen that the 
army worm, at any rate, was not to blame, and that the fright had been caused, 
not so much from the attack, as from a want of a knowledge of how to distinguish 
between things that differ. If this had been possessed there might have been 
ample evidence to show that there was no cause for alarm, as it Was not in the 
- nature of that particular form to do any injury. 
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On one occasion I had an opportunity of witnessing an occurrence which 
forcibly illustrates this very condition of things. I had gone on a visit to the 
country about the end of wheat harvest, when a hot and dry spell was prevailing 
and all vegetation was, more or less, exhibiting the effects of it, by a rusty tinge. 
