﻿110 
  EEPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  COMMISSION. 
  

  

  Agriculture 
  iuclicate 
  that 
  iu 
  this 
  latitude 
  in 
  late 
  spring 
  the 
  period 
  is 
  

   from 
  twenty 
  to 
  twenty-five 
  daj^s. 
  Everything 
  depends 
  of 
  course 
  upon 
  

   the 
  temperature, 
  the 
  midsummer 
  individuals 
  passing 
  through 
  their 
  

   chauges 
  much 
  more 
  rapidly 
  than 
  the 
  spring 
  and 
  fall 
  broods. 
  As 
  we 
  shall 
  

   show 
  later, 
  the 
  Army 
  Worm 
  most 
  often 
  hibernates 
  in 
  the 
  larval 
  statie^ 
  

   coDsequently 
  the 
  larval 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  last 
  brood 
  frequently 
  extends 
  over 
  a 
  

   space 
  of 
  four 
  months 
  or 
  even 
  more. 
  In 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  details 
  published 
  

   in 
  our 
  Eighth 
  and 
  Ninth 
  Missouri 
  Eeports, 
  the 
  following 
  observations 
  re- 
  

   corded 
  this 
  spring 
  will 
  illustrate 
  the 
  great 
  variation 
  referred 
  to: 
  

  

  Some 
  eggs 
  of 
  the 
  Army 
  Worm 
  moth 
  which 
  were 
  deposited 
  May 
  4^ 
  

   1882, 
  hatched 
  May 
  11. 
  The 
  worms 
  passed 
  the 
  first 
  molt 
  May 
  17, 
  the 
  

   second 
  May 
  20, 
  the 
  third 
  May 
  23, 
  the 
  fourth 
  May 
  26, 
  and 
  the 
  fifth 
  May 
  

   29. 
  On 
  June 
  2 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  larvae 
  had 
  entered 
  the 
  ground, 
  and 
  June 
  17 
  

   eight 
  moths 
  issued. 
  May 
  28, 
  some 
  moths, 
  collected 
  during 
  the 
  evening" 
  

   of 
  the 
  27th, 
  were 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  vivarium 
  with 
  grass. 
  June 
  3 
  many 
  young 
  

   larvae 
  had 
  already 
  hatched, 
  and 
  on 
  June 
  20 
  some 
  had 
  entered 
  the 
  ground 
  

   for 
  pupation. 
  

  

  TravelinGt 
  habits, 
  etc. 
  — 
  When 
  the 
  worms 
  of 
  a 
  given 
  locality 
  are 
  

   so 
  numerous 
  as 
  to 
  early 
  exhaust 
  their 
  natural 
  supply 
  of 
  food 
  they 
  be- 
  

   gin 
  to 
  travel 
  en 
  masse 
  to 
  fresh 
  fields. 
  Their 
  numbers 
  at 
  these 
  times 
  are 
  

   often 
  so 
  enormous, 
  and 
  their 
  voracity 
  so 
  great, 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  impossible 
  for 
  

   one 
  Y\^ho 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  an 
  eye-witness 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  invasions 
  to 
  ap- 
  

   preciate 
  it 
  fully. 
  To 
  illustrate 
  this 
  point 
  and 
  also 
  the 
  habits 
  of 
  the 
  

   worm, 
  while 
  on 
  the 
  march, 
  we 
  introduce 
  the 
  following 
  quotations: 
  

  

  The 
  Army-worm 
  wlien 
  traveling 
  will 
  scarcely 
  turn 
  aside 
  for 
  anything 
  but 
  water, 
  

   and 
  even 
  shallow 
  water-courses 
  will 
  not 
  always 
  check 
  its 
  progress; 
  for 
  the 
  advance 
  

   columns 
  will 
  often 
  continue 
  to 
  rush 
  head-long 
  into 
  the 
  water 
  until 
  they 
  have 
  suffi- 
  

   ciently 
  choked 
  it 
  up 
  with 
  their 
  dead 
  and 
  dying 
  bodies, 
  to 
  enable 
  the 
  rear 
  guard 
  to 
  

   cross 
  safely 
  over. 
  I 
  have 
  noticed 
  that 
  after 
  crossing 
  a 
  bare 
  field 
  or 
  bare 
  road 
  where 
  

   they 
  were 
  subjected 
  to 
  the 
  sun's 
  rays, 
  they 
  would 
  congregate 
  in 
  immense 
  numbers 
  

   under 
  the 
  first 
  shade 
  they 
  reached. 
  In 
  one 
  instance 
  I 
  recollect 
  their 
  collecting 
  and 
  

   covering 
  the 
  ground 
  fiye 
  or 
  six 
  deep 
  all 
  along 
  the 
  shady 
  side 
  of 
  a 
  fence 
  for 
  about 
  a 
  

   mile, 
  while 
  scarcely 
  one 
  was 
  seen 
  to 
  cross 
  on 
  the 
  sunny 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  fence. 
  

   Though 
  they 
  will 
  nibble 
  at 
  clover, 
  they 
  evidently 
  do 
  not 
  relish 
  it, 
  and 
  almost 
  always 
  

   pass 
  it 
  by 
  untouched. 
  They 
  will 
  eat 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  grasses, 
  and 
  are 
  fond 
  of 
  oats, 
  rye, 
  

   sorghum, 
  corn, 
  and 
  wheat, 
  though 
  they 
  seldom 
  devour 
  any 
  other 
  part 
  but 
  the 
  succu- 
  

   lent 
  leaves. 
  They 
  often 
  cut 
  oif 
  the 
  ears 
  of 
  wheat 
  and 
  oats 
  and 
  allow 
  them 
  to 
  fall 
  to 
  

   the 
  ground, 
  and 
  they 
  are 
  perhaps 
  led 
  to 
  perform 
  this 
  wanton 
  trick 
  by 
  the 
  succulency 
  

   of 
  the 
  stem 
  immediately 
  below 
  the 
  ear. 
  South 
  of 
  latitude 
  40° 
  they 
  generally 
  appear 
  

   before 
  the 
  wheat 
  stalks 
  get 
  too 
  hard, 
  or 
  early 
  enough 
  to 
  materially 
  injure 
  it 
  ; 
  but 
  north 
  

   of 
  that 
  line, 
  wheat 
  is 
  generally 
  too 
  much 
  ripened 
  for 
  their 
  tastes, 
  and 
  is 
  sometimes 
  even 
  

   harvested 
  before 
  the 
  fullgrown 
  worms 
  make 
  their 
  advent. 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  heard 
  of 
  the 
  Army- 
  worm 
  sometimes 
  passing 
  through 
  a 
  wheatfield 
  when 
  the 
  

   wheat 
  was 
  nearly 
  ripe, 
  and 
  doing 
  goo'd 
  service 
  by 
  devouring 
  all 
  the 
  chess 
  and 
  leaving 
  

   untouched 
  the 
  Avheat 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  following 
  item 
  from 
  Collinsville, 
  111., 
  which 
  appeared 
  

   in 
  the 
  Missouri 
  Democrat, 
  contains 
  still 
  more 
  startling 
  facts, 
  and 
  would 
  indicate 
  that 
  

   even 
  a 
  foe 
  t® 
  the 
  farmer 
  as 
  determined 
  as 
  this, 
  may 
  sometimes 
  prove 
  to 
  be 
  his 
  friend. 
  

  

  **' 
  Harvest 
  and 
  Crops. 
  — 
  Notwithstanding 
  the 
  unfavorable 
  weather, 
  many 
  farmers 
  

   have 
  commenced 
  the 
  wheat 
  harvest. 
  The 
  yield 
  in 
  this 
  immediate 
  vicinity 
  will 
  be 
  

   superabundant. 
  Some 
  fields 
  were 
  struck 
  with 
  rust 
  a 
  few 
  days 
  since, 
  but 
  the 
  Army 
  

  

  