83 



The cranberry crop on the Cape has suffered this year severely 

 from the pest, the damage to the crop in the three towns of Dennis, 

 Harwich and Yarmouth being estimated at $100,000. 



Replies from correspondents indicate that a conservative esti- 

 mate of the damage from the army worm to the cranberry,* grass 

 and grain crops of the State the present year is at least $200,000. 

 Of this amount the greater part falls upon the cranberry growers, 

 but many farmers have lost nearly their whole hay crop as the 

 result of the work of this insect. The damage the army worm 

 is capable of causing can be no better illustrated than by refer- 

 ence to the celebrated " army worm year," 1861, when the loss on 

 grass and grain crops in western Massachusetts alone amounted to 

 over $500,000. 



Remedies. 



The army worm is a pest that never arouses popular attention 

 until it is too late to prevent damage, and the fact that the insect 

 only appears at somewhat extended intervals of time explains, in 

 great measure, the lack of information among the farmers con- 

 cerning the remedies to combat it. In this case, as in many others, 

 prevention is better than remedy, and the occasional burning over 

 of mowings and pastures cannot be too strongly advocated. This 

 procedure destroys the hibernating insects. Where the army 

 worm appears in abundance in grass and grain fields the crop 

 should be cut at once. A furrow should then be ploughed around 

 the infested field with the straight edge toward the land to be pro- 

 tected. As soon as the crop begins to dry, the worms commence 

 to migrate, and crawling into the furrow are unable to climb up 

 the straight side, unless the projecting grass roots afford a foot- 

 hold, in which case the furrow should be deepened by spading. 

 Holes dug in the bottom of the furrow furnish places in which the 

 worms will collect, when they can be destroyed. Gen. W. W. 

 Blackmar of Hingham has met with excellent success in destroy- 

 ing these insects by burning sawdust soaked in kerosene oil in 

 the holes where the worms collected. A somewhat similar meas- 

 ure has been employed with good results by Mr. A. I. Hayward 

 of Agawam. 



Rolling infested fields has been recommended by many writers, 

 and at ray suggestion was thoroughly tried, but without anything 

 like satisfactory results, although the ground was level and hard. 



• I am indebted to Capt. N. B. Burgess of Yarmouth Farms for much inter- 

 esting data concerning the ravages of the army worm in the cranberry growing 

 region. 



