THREE BROODS IN NEW HAMPSHIRE 



67 



%:■' 



.^ while scarcely one was seen to cross on the 

 sunny side of the same fence." This avoid- 

 ance of the sunshine must have been noticed 

 by every observer of army worm outbreaks. 

 On damp, cloudy days one may find numbers 

 of them feeding near the top of grass and grain 

 stalks, but on hot, sunny days few if any are 

 to be found in such situations. They then 

 occur in the shaded rubbish at the soil sur- 

 face. 



THE CHOICE OF FOOD 



The army worm feeds by preference upon 

 plants of the great grass family, which in- 

 cludes both the grasses and grains. The 

 moths are especially attracted, for the deposit 

 of their eggs, to rank growths of grass-like 

 plants. To this is due the fact that in New 

 Hampshire this year the brood of worms de- 

 structive in July was oftenest found in barley 

 fields, while that destructive in September 

 ravaged the fields of Hungarian grass. In 

 feeding upon timothy and similar grasses the 

 leaves are first stripped, and in cases of severe 

 attacks the heads will be wholly or partially 

 gnawed off"; one such is represented in Fig. 

 5. They also feed freely upon the leaves and 

 more or less upon the succulent stalks of 

 wheat, oats, barley, rye, sorghum, and Indian 

 corn. Generally they feed upon clover only 

 when driven to it by hunger. 



Fig. 5. Head of 

 Timothy grass gnaw- 



THREE BROODS IN NEW HAMPSHIRE 



Apparently there were three broods of 

 ■v, worms in New Hampshire this season. Be- 

 \^ fore the destructive brood that appeared in 

 July there must have been a brood devel- 



oped during late spring or earl}' summer, 

 ed by army worms. Some members of this generation, and per- 

 <Original). haps most, probably passed the winter as par- 



