202 



THE ILLmOIS FAEMER. 



JULT 



whom we may expect, a full description of 

 the moth and mode of propagation of this 

 pest, together with its true name, if it has 

 any, of which we have some doubts. 



ITS HISTORY. 



The first account of the appearance of this 

 insect that we have seen, was by Jos. Bray- 

 shaw, of Perry county, near Duquoin, in 

 1854. Mr. B. says the worm visited that 

 county in 1825, '26, '34, and in a subse- 

 quent communication adds in '39 and '41. 

 He says that it dislikes clover, and ceases 

 feeding about the first of June, and that the 

 moth hatch from the chrysalis about the 

 18th. This season it ceased eating the 18th 

 at this point ; at Tamaroa on the farm of B. 

 G. Roats the chrysalis had hatched out, 

 doubtless some days previous. This is in the 

 north part of Perry county, showing that 

 the time of the appearance and disappear- 

 ance of the worm is quite regular, and in the 

 two cases under our observation in this coun- 

 ty not over one day if any. Wm. S. "Wait, 

 of Bond county under date of April 30th, 

 1842, gives an account of this worm to one 

 of the St. Louis papers ; he saved his crops 

 by ditching or plowing a deep furrow around 

 his timothy meadow, the breeding place of 

 the worms. He says they were numerous 

 in 1839. Since 1842, and until the present 

 year they have done little damage, but in 

 looking at their past history we may reason- 

 ably look for them nest season, particularly 

 as the great breadth of timothy and blue 

 grass gives them additional breeding places. 

 Mr. W. says they perform their work of de- 

 vastation in about four weeks. The popular 

 belief that one or two days of hot sun will 

 kill them we think unfounded. They do 

 not like a hot surface and are careful to keep 

 out of the sun, belonging to the family 

 noctura, this habit is easily accounted for, 

 as the night and cloudy weather is their fa- 

 vorite time of feeding. 



THEIR FOOD. 



Timothy and blue grass are the favorites, 

 and it appears that they breed in them ex- 



clusively, while on the other hand they 

 change the chrysalis state and come forth 

 in the miller form whenever they completed 

 their feeding. On farms destitute of old 

 meadows and pasture we think no worms 

 will be found. Chess they are fond of, so 

 young oats, rye or wheat ; but after these 

 grains are well headed out they seldom do . 

 more than to strip off the lower leaves, which 

 will not injure the crops. Shrubs and woody 

 plants like clover are seldom touched. 

 Pinks, Phloxes, and other herbacious flow- 

 ering plants they are fond of, but in gardens 

 and yards where there is a good stock of 

 chickens they will do little damage. Corn 

 is a favorite of which they make a clean 

 sweep. 



THE REMEDY. 



When they appear in limited numbers 

 hogs, chickens, and the thousands of birds 

 so thin down their ranks that they make no 

 headway and attract little or no attention j 

 but in a cold, wet season, when the feath- 

 ered tribe keeps close to the groves, the 

 meadows and pastures are not so closely 

 scanned by the birds for food, and the first 

 brood of worms are allowed to multiply in 

 myriads, when like an army they carry de- 

 struction in their path. When this is the 

 case, the meadows or pastures should be at 

 once plowed up, not less than six inches 

 deep, and planted to corn, or sown to winter 

 wheat or rye. If pasture, this rye or wheat 

 can be pastured the same as though it was 

 sown for no other purpose until late in De- 

 cember, when the stock should be taken off 

 and your chances of a bountiful yield will 

 be better than grain sown in September. 

 If wanted for meadow, it may as well be 

 plowed up, for you get no hay, while the 

 corn will produce fodder ; or it can be sown 

 to corn or Hungarian grass for the same 

 purpose; in either case then, if meadow or 

 pasture, it is in your power to avert in a 

 measure the evil. By this proceiure you 

 keep them out of the other crops by cutting 

 them off before they finish their feeding, 



