OBSERVATIONS AND EXPERIMENTS 
IN 
IN THE PRACTICAL WORK OF THE DIVISION. 
FURTHER NOTES ON THE ARMY WORM. 
In the last annual report of the Department we published the most 
important portion of the chapter on the Army Worm in advance from 
the Third Report of the United States Entomological Commission. In 
this article we give some additional notes, together with an account of 
the rather abnormal occurrence of the worms in the summer of 1882 in 
certain cranberry bogs in New Jersey. 
THE ARMY WORM IN 1883. 
In spite of the fact that the spring of 1883 was favorable for the 
development of the Army Worm, its scarcity almost all over the coun- 
try has been remarkable. In few years within our recollection have 
there been so few complaints of damage by the worm. In fact, no well 
authenticated case of injury has come to our notice,* though in the lat- 
ter part of June it was rumored to be present in force in Eastern 
Pennsylvania. In the vicinity of Washington, in localities where last 
year the moths were extremely numerous, but few individuals have been 
found. 
EXPERIMENTS UPON FOOD-PLANTS. 
The normal food-plants of the Army Worm are found among the 
grasses and grains, not a single species of either, so far as known, com- 
ing amiss. Wheat and oats seem to be their favorite among the small 
grains, though rye and barley are also taken with less relish. German 
millet, corn, and sorghum are eaten by the worms, particularly when 
young and tender. They were found in 1881 feeding to a greater or less 
extent on flax in Illinois, although this is mentioned by Fitch as one of 
the crops which the worms will not touch. They have also been re- 
ported to eat onions, peas, beans, and other vegetables, though prob- 
ably only when pressed with hunger. As stated in our Kighth Missouri 
Report, upon the reliable authority of Mr. B. F. Mills, of Makanda, II1., 
they have also been known to eat the leaves of fruit trees. Ordinarily 
clover is disregarded by the worms, though they occasionally nibble at 
it. A timothy field is often eaten to the ground, leaving the clover 
scattered through it standing. In this connection it may be well to 
during June. . 
(9) 
