No. 4.] THE ARMY WORM. 267 



Food Plants. 

 The army worm is a general feeder upon grasses 

 and grains, but when pressed by hunger will attack 

 many garden vegetables and other herbage. It has 

 this year been noticed feeding upon cranberry, oats, 

 rye, barley, corn, herd's grass, orchard grass, red 

 top, witch grass, peas, beans, beets, lettuce, cabbage, 

 pig weed, yellow dock and purslane. Mr. C. A. 

 Peters, a student of the Massachusetts Agricultural 

 College, informs me that it also attacks barn-yard 

 grass (Panicum cnis-galli), shepherd's-purse and 

 vetches. Figs. 3, 4 and 5 illustrate the army 

 worm's characteristic method of feeding on rye and 

 herd's grass. 



The Army Worm in Massachusetts. 

 The history of the army worm in Massachusetts is 

 of more than ordinary interest, since it aftbrds an 

 excellent idea of the periods of time usually elapsing 

 between the outbreaks of this insect. It is recorded * 

 that in 1632 "the worms made extensive ravages on 

 the corn," while 1646 and 1649 " were caterpillar 

 years." In 1666 "the Indian corn was eaten by 

 worms." There is of course much doubt concerning 

 the species of insect causing the above-mentioned 

 damage to crops, but by some it is thought to have 

 been the army worm. Later records are more au- 

 thentic ; 1743, — " Millions of devouring worms in 

 armies, threatening to cut off every green thing." 

 1762, — " At last, when the corn was planted, 

 millions of worms appeared to eat it up." 1770, — 

 "A very uncommon sort of a Avorm . . . ate the 

 corn and grass all as they went above ground, which 

 cut short the crops in many places." Of this last- 

 mentioned occurrence of the army worm the Rev. 

 Grant Powers has written f : "In the summer of 

 1770 this whole section was visited by an extraordi- 



* Agriculture of Massachusetts. Chas. L. Flint, ISoi. 



t Historical cketches of the Coos County (N. H.), 1841. Fig. 4. 



