11Q THIRD ANNUAL REPORT OF 



and oilier enemies gaining the ascendancy over them. — Rural Worlds 

 Sept. 2nd, 1870. 



A kmy-wokm in Callaway County. — I have found that the Army- 

 worm has been more or less on almost every farm, and have been ex- 

 amining some oi the meadows over which they have passed, and have 

 ■come to the conclusion they are about ruined. From my examina- 

 tion I think that nineteen-tvventieths of the grass is entirely killed : 

 al least there is not more than one bulb in twenty that shows any 

 signs of vitality. Why should this insect make its appearance at this 

 season \ Air. Kiley, I believe churns that it makes its advent in Ihe 

 spring. But now we have it appearing at the end of summer and be- 

 ginning of fall, and in numbers as great and as destructive as ever it 

 did in spring. Could it be that the extreme heat of this season, with 

 favorable conditions of moisture, lias brought them forth prematurely ? 

 1 noticed that some plum trees, cherry trees, smoke trees, summer 

 roses and strawberries are blossoming freely from premature develop- 

 ment, — II. B., Journal of Agriculture, Oct. loth, 1870. 



The Army-worm, on the 2Sth of August, appeared in force in my 

 neighbor's wheat stuoble, moving south towards a piece of land that 

 I had planted in corn, and then sown in rye that was up nicely. When 

 they reached the fence (which they did on the 28th of August), I scat- 

 tered salt thickly on the rich blue grass on my side of the fence, all 

 along it. while the dew was on. They came no further. As I was 

 obliged to be away from home, I cannot say whether the salt checked 

 them or not — at any rate, it caused the grass to wilt and die. 



A very small dark worm about halt an inch long, has been doing 

 some damage to the young grain of laie. — J. L. Eriein, Fultov, Cal- 

 laway County, Mo- 



The Army-wokm — A Slander on the Birds — Editor Farmer ■: 

 Feeling it a duty, as well as a privilege, to contribute all good, or 

 even really bad news for the farmers, through your truly valuable 

 and very much improved and highly esteemed Farmers' journal, en- 

 closed (in a small phial) please find some specimens of Army-worm, 

 many millions of winch infest our county. They are everywhere. It 

 is said they are brought by a small, yellow bird, which goes in covies 

 of twenty-five to two hundred — that wherever they alight, the worms 

 first appear. It is said that each petaled portion of the feathers is 

 covered with nits, and their number is legion. 



We would be pleased to hear from some of our scientific men on 

 the subject, as we are very much interested. They take a twenty- 

 acre wheat field in two days. 



These pestiferous little pests are rapidly arriving at maturity. In 

 traveling, their course seems westward. They last appeared here in 

 1866, but too late in the season to do any great damage, as a cold rain 

 sent them the way of all the earth. That being in October, nothing 

 of the kind can be expected at this time ; and if they are to remain 

 here until October, woe to our wheat fields in this vicinity ! 



Mineral Point, Kansas, Aug. 29th, 1S70. 



[The above letter came to us too late for insertion last month. 

 Our friends are doing great injustice to our little harmless " : l J rairie- 

 bird'S," in supposing that they have anything to do with bringing the 

 Army-worm — Editor]. — Kansas Farmer, Octoler, 1S70. 



Army-wokm. — Late rains are keeping corn too green. Too muddy 

 to plow for wheat, The Hessian-fly and Army-worm are too numer- 

 ous to allow farmers to seed much this fall. The early sown wheat 



