32 



is as distinctly marked as the course of a fire -whicli lias overrun 

 the herbage in a dry pasture. Not a blade of grass is left stand- 

 . ing in their rear. We are informed that about forty years 

 ago the same kind of worm made great destruction in 

 ploughed land, among spring grain, but particularly in fields 

 of flax." 



Of more recent occurrence are the sudden and destructive 

 vp^^/ outbreaks of this pest in the years 1861, 1875 and 1880, 

 when whole grass and grain fields were laid waste, and in 

 some localities farmers suffered a total loss of their hay crop. 



^^M. "^^^ appearance of the army worm this year seems general 

 throughout New England, eastern New York and some parts 

 of New Jersey. In this State its greatest damage is in 

 localities bordering on streams, tide-water or marshes, an 

 evidence that wet lands are the natural home of the insect. 



Through the courtesy of Secretary AVra. R. Sessions I was 

 enabled to visit infested estates at Hingham and Revere 

 during the early part of July and to make a study of the 

 conditions there existing. At the Jordan farm, Hingham, 

 the oat fields suffered the most severely, the greater part 

 of the leaves and heads being stripped from the grain. 

 Grass lands and pastures in the vicinity were also infested 

 but to a less degree. The foreman of the place, Mr. Par- 

 malee, was advised to promptly cut all infested crops and 

 later to furrow around these fields in order to prevent the 

 migration of the pest. Unfortunately there was some delay 

 in following out the last recommendation and as a result, as 

 soon as the oats became partly dry, the worms migrated. 

 Active measures, however, later on resulted in reducing the 

 numbers of the insect. 



The World's End farm, Hingham, suffered nearly as much 

 from this pest but the devastation was checked by promptly 

 mowing the crops. At Revere, the large Squire farm was 

 found to be thoroughl}' infested, and here, as in other places, 

 newly seeded land suffered the most. I was informed by the 

 superintendent, Mr. A. Bart Hill, that the army worm first 

 appeared in both the spring and fall rye fields and that having 

 stripped the leaves from the grain, they next attacked the 

 grass lands. As a result over one-third of the grass and 

 grain crops on this estate were destroyed by the insect. 



I am enabled to state, upon the authority of Mr. Frank D. 



I Mills, Pittsfield, Mass., that the migrating masses of army 

 worms seriously interfered with the moving of electric cars 

 . and, in some cases, of freight trains in the vicinity of Dalton. 



