﻿116 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  COMMISSION. 
  

  

  tie 
  presence 
  of 
  plant 
  lice 
  with 
  dry 
  seasons, 
  and 
  from 
  the 
  memorable 
  depredations 
  of 
  

   the 
  grain 
  aphis 
  in 
  that 
  year 
  throughout 
  the 
  Middle 
  and 
  New 
  England 
  States, 
  it 
  is 
  

   very 
  questionable 
  whether 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  1861 
  was 
  wet. 
  It 
  is 
  far 
  more 
  probable 
  that 
  

   the 
  season 
  was 
  a 
  dry 
  one 
  like 
  the 
  present, 
  in 
  which 
  also 
  various 
  plant 
  lice 
  have 
  done 
  

   great 
  damage. 
  

  

  The 
  sudden 
  disappearance 
  of 
  the 
  worms, 
  which 
  Fitch 
  accounts 
  for 
  by 
  

   the 
  supposed 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  insect 
  ^^ 
  finds 
  our 
  arable 
  lands 
  too 
  dry 
  for 
  it 
  j 
  

   and 
  immediately 
  on 
  maturing 
  and 
  getting 
  its 
  wings 
  again, 
  it 
  flies 
  

   back 
  to 
  the 
  swamps, 
  " 
  is 
  much 
  more 
  easily 
  and 
  naturally 
  accounted 
  for 
  

   in 
  view 
  of 
  known 
  facts, 
  as 
  we 
  have 
  accounted 
  for 
  it 
  above, 
  by 
  the 
  in- 
  

   creased 
  effectiveness 
  of 
  its 
  very 
  numerous 
  natural 
  enemies, 
  and 
  by 
  the 
  

   enormous 
  numbers 
  destroyed 
  by 
  the 
  hand 
  of 
  man. 
  

  

  Food-plants. 
  — 
  The 
  normal 
  food-plants 
  of 
  the 
  Army 
  Worm 
  are 
  found 
  

   among 
  the 
  grasses 
  and 
  grains, 
  not 
  a 
  single 
  species 
  of 
  either, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  

   known, 
  coming 
  amiss. 
  Wheat 
  and 
  oats 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  their 
  favorites 
  among 
  

   the 
  small 
  grains, 
  though 
  rye 
  and 
  barley 
  are 
  also 
  taken 
  with 
  less 
  relish. 
  

   German 
  millet, 
  corn 
  and 
  sorghum 
  are 
  eaten 
  by 
  the 
  worms, 
  particularly 
  

   when 
  young 
  and 
  tender. 
  They 
  were 
  found 
  last 
  year 
  feeding 
  to 
  a 
  greater 
  

   or 
  less 
  extent 
  on 
  flax 
  in 
  Illinois, 
  although 
  this 
  is 
  mentioned 
  by 
  Fitch 
  

   as 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  crops 
  which 
  the 
  worms 
  will 
  not 
  touch. 
  They 
  have 
  also 
  

   been 
  known 
  to 
  eat 
  onions, 
  peas, 
  beans, 
  and 
  other 
  vegetables, 
  though 
  

   probably 
  only 
  when 
  pressed 
  with 
  hunger. 
  As 
  stated 
  in 
  our 
  Eighth 
  

   Missouri 
  Keport, 
  upon 
  the 
  reliable 
  authority 
  of 
  Mr. 
  B. 
  F. 
  Mills, 
  of 
  Ma- 
  

   kanda, 
  111., 
  they 
  have 
  also 
  been 
  known 
  to 
  eat 
  the 
  leaves 
  of 
  fruit 
  trees. 
  

   Ordiuaril 
  5^ 
  clover 
  is 
  disregarded 
  by 
  the 
  worms, 
  though 
  they 
  occasionally 
  

   nibble 
  at 
  it. 
  A 
  timothy 
  field 
  is 
  often 
  eaten 
  to 
  the 
  ground, 
  leaving 
  the 
  

   clover 
  scattered 
  through 
  it 
  standing. 
  In 
  1880, 
  in 
  Monmouth 
  County, 
  

   Kew 
  Jersey, 
  occurred 
  remarkable 
  exceptions. 
  We 
  quote 
  from 
  Kev. 
  

   Samuel 
  Lockwood 
  : 
  ^* 
  

  

  I 
  had 
  supposed 
  the 
  aliment 
  of 
  these 
  insects 
  to 
  be 
  restricted 
  to 
  the 
  Graminece, 
  that 
  

   is, 
  the 
  grasses 
  proper 
  and 
  the 
  grains 
  and 
  Indian 
  corn. 
  Hence, 
  surprised 
  at 
  the 
  thor- 
  

   oughness 
  with 
  which 
  they 
  had 
  eaten 
  up 
  that 
  field 
  of 
  clover, 
  on 
  the 
  spot 
  I 
  took 
  it 
  for 
  

   an 
  original 
  observation 
  of 
  an 
  exceptional 
  habit 
  ; 
  but, 
  upon 
  looking 
  into 
  the 
  Riley 
  re- 
  

   ports, 
  I 
  found 
  similar 
  facts 
  on 
  record. 
  I 
  soon 
  ceased 
  to 
  regard 
  this 
  habit 
  as 
  at 
  all 
  ex- 
  

   ceptional 
  ; 
  for, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  Monmouth 
  was 
  concerned 
  in 
  1880, 
  clover-eating 
  by 
  the 
  Army 
  

   Worm 
  was 
  the 
  rule 
  and 
  not 
  the 
  exception. 
  In 
  fact, 
  I 
  could 
  not 
  learn 
  of 
  one 
  instance 
  

   of 
  their 
  presence 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  clover 
  escaped. 
  The 
  following 
  from 
  a 
  letter 
  by 
  a 
  

   teacher 
  is 
  to 
  the 
  point 
  : 
  

  

  ''On 
  the 
  farm 
  of 
  Charles 
  AUgor, 
  at 
  New 
  Bedford, 
  in 
  passing 
  from 
  his 
  wheat-field 
  to 
  

   his 
  oat-field, 
  the 
  worms 
  had 
  to 
  cross 
  a 
  strip 
  of 
  sward 
  composed 
  of 
  timothy 
  and 
  red 
  

   clover 
  of 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  years' 
  standing. 
  They 
  took 
  every 
  thing 
  clean. 
  They 
  also 
  ate 
  

   the 
  young 
  clover 
  in 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  wheat-field, 
  killing 
  it 
  entirely. 
  In 
  a 
  mixed 
  

   sward 
  of 
  Geo. 
  Newman's, 
  the 
  teacher, 
  they 
  ate 
  the 
  clover 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  grasses, 
  leav- 
  

   ing 
  nothing 
  but 
  the 
  stalks. 
  They 
  also 
  ate 
  the 
  clover 
  on 
  the 
  farm 
  of 
  Albert 
  King, 
  at 
  

   Green 
  Grove. 
  They 
  did 
  not 
  make 
  a 
  specialty 
  of 
  clover, 
  but 
  they 
  ate 
  it 
  without 
  being 
  

   starved 
  to 
  it. 
  They 
  ate 
  both 
  the 
  clover 
  and 
  timothy 
  in 
  a 
  mixed 
  sward 
  of 
  James 
  

   Allgor's. 
  They 
  ate 
  Mr. 
  Allen's 
  oat-field, 
  then 
  went 
  over 
  to 
  his 
  sward 
  of 
  grass 
  and 
  

   clover, 
  and 
  finished 
  that 
  off, 
  too." 
  

  

  34 
  See 
  Mr. 
  Lockwood's 
  Report, 
  furtlier 
  on. 
  

  

  