﻿130 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  COMMISSION. 
  

  

  t 
  

  

  we 
  published 
  in 
  the 
  Rural 
  Neiv-Yorlier 
  of 
  May 
  27, 
  which 
  subsequent 
  

   events 
  have 
  fully 
  justified: 
  

  

  Aiieiit 
  the 
  Army 
  Worm 
  I 
  have 
  obtained 
  mauy 
  interesting 
  facts 
  during 
  the 
  past 
  winter 
  

   and 
  present 
  spring, 
  which 
  all 
  go 
  to 
  confirm 
  the 
  coiTectness 
  of 
  my 
  previous 
  conclusions 
  

   and 
  inferences, 
  especially 
  those 
  of 
  18dU, 
  as 
  presented 
  to 
  the 
  American 
  Association 
  for 
  

   the 
  Advancement 
  of 
  Science, 
  viz., 
  that 
  it 
  hibernates 
  principally 
  in 
  the 
  worm 
  or 
  larva 
  

   state. 
  From 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  worm 
  of 
  all 
  sizes 
  has 
  been 
  found 
  throughout 
  the 
  past 
  

   winter 
  not 
  only 
  around 
  Washington 
  but 
  in 
  various 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  South, 
  whenever 
  it 
  

   has 
  been 
  looked 
  for 
  carefully, 
  and 
  from 
  the 
  further 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  moths 
  have 
  latelj?- 
  

   been 
  very 
  numerous 
  and 
  active 
  in 
  laying 
  their 
  eggs 
  in 
  this 
  immediate 
  vicinity, 
  I 
  drew 
  

   the 
  inference, 
  some 
  weeks 
  since, 
  that 
  we 
  should 
  have 
  in 
  most 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  

   serious 
  attacks 
  of 
  the 
  insect 
  during 
  the 
  present 
  year, 
  and 
  sent 
  an 
  item 
  containing 
  this 
  

   inference 
  to 
  the 
  American 
  JVahtraZi^/ 
  for 
  publication. 
  In 
  confirmation 
  of 
  the 
  correct- 
  

   ness 
  of 
  that 
  inference 
  the 
  Department 
  of 
  Agriculture 
  has 
  just 
  received 
  accounts 
  of 
  

   alarming 
  injury 
  to 
  small 
  grain 
  in 
  northern 
  Alabama 
  and 
  Georgia 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  in 
  Arkan- 
  

   sas. 
  If 
  the 
  spring 
  and 
  early 
  summer 
  prove 
  in 
  any 
  way 
  wet 
  (as 
  is 
  likely 
  in 
  the 
  country 
  

   which 
  suffered 
  so 
  much 
  from 
  drought 
  last 
  year) 
  the 
  precise 
  conditions 
  will 
  recur 
  that 
  

   have 
  in 
  the 
  past 
  marked 
  all 
  great 
  Army 
  Worm 
  years. 
  

  

  Observations 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  recently 
  been 
  making 
  with 
  one 
  of 
  my 
  assistants, 
  Mr. 
  A. 
  

   Koebele, 
  fully 
  establish 
  the 
  fact 
  which 
  I 
  inferred 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  case 
  in 
  1877— 
  that 
  the 
  moth 
  

   secretes 
  her 
  eggs 
  by 
  preference 
  in 
  old 
  grass 
  and 
  stubble 
  and 
  even 
  in 
  corn-stalks 
  ; 
  and 
  

   this 
  explains 
  two 
  facts 
  that 
  have 
  long 
  since 
  been 
  recognized 
  by 
  practical 
  men, 
  viz.,* 
  

   that 
  the 
  worms 
  in 
  destructive 
  numbers 
  are 
  apt 
  to 
  originate 
  from 
  old 
  stacks 
  or 
  piles 
  of 
  

   corn-stalks, 
  or 
  coarse 
  manure, 
  to 
  which 
  the 
  early 
  moths 
  are 
  attracted 
  for 
  purposes 
  of 
  

   oviposition. 
  In 
  short, 
  a 
  field 
  will 
  be 
  free 
  from 
  the 
  worm 
  in 
  proportion 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  kept- 
  

   clean 
  of 
  old 
  stubble 
  and 
  straw, 
  and 
  in 
  proportion 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  distant 
  from 
  such, 
  or 
  from 
  

   neglected 
  pasturage, 
  or 
  low, 
  rank 
  grass 
  inaccessible 
  to 
  cattle. 
  

  

  Believing, 
  therefore, 
  that 
  serious 
  injury 
  now 
  threatens 
  meadows 
  and 
  grain 
  fields 
  

   from 
  this 
  insect, 
  and 
  that 
  we 
  shall 
  hear 
  of 
  it 
  farther 
  and 
  farther 
  north 
  with 
  the 
  head- 
  

   ing 
  out 
  of 
  wheat, 
  and 
  knowing, 
  from 
  exx)erience, 
  that 
  an 
  ounce 
  of 
  prevention 
  is 
  worth 
  

   a 
  pound 
  of 
  cure, 
  I 
  recommend 
  that 
  farmers 
  generally 
  take 
  the 
  precaution 
  to 
  burn 
  up 
  

   or 
  plow 
  under 
  at 
  once, 
  wherever 
  it 
  is 
  possible 
  to 
  do 
  so, 
  any 
  neglected 
  meadows, 
  old 
  

   grass 
  or 
  straw 
  upon 
  their 
  farms 
  ; 
  further, 
  to 
  roll 
  the 
  grain 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  old 
  stacks 
  

   where 
  these 
  may 
  not 
  be 
  burned. 
  Let 
  me 
  add, 
  further, 
  that 
  one 
  must 
  not 
  be 
  deceived 
  

   by 
  appearances. 
  The 
  worms 
  may 
  not 
  be 
  visible 
  to 
  an 
  ordinary 
  observer, 
  or 
  even 
  to 
  a 
  

   careful 
  one, 
  and 
  may 
  yet 
  abound 
  in 
  myriads, 
  for 
  they 
  secrete 
  themselves 
  within 
  old 
  

   stalks, 
  or 
  folded 
  leaves, 
  when 
  very 
  young, 
  and 
  hide 
  under 
  matted 
  grass 
  or 
  grain 
  when 
  

   larger. 
  Yet 
  a 
  field 
  that 
  shows 
  none 
  now 
  may 
  in 
  a 
  fortnight 
  be 
  overrun 
  with 
  full- 
  

   grown 
  worms, 
  so 
  rapidly 
  do 
  they 
  grow. 
  

  

  While, 
  therefore, 
  annual 
  burning 
  in 
  the 
  fall 
  or 
  winter 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  recom- 
  

   mended 
  as 
  a 
  haphazard 
  way 
  of 
  reducing 
  Army 
  Worm 
  injury, 
  burning 
  

   as 
  late 
  as 
  possible 
  in 
  the 
  spring 
  is 
  much 
  more 
  strongly 
  to 
  be 
  recom- 
  

   mended, 
  especially 
  during 
  certain 
  years, 
  a^nd 
  following 
  exceptionally 
  

   dry 
  seasons 
  and 
  special 
  observations 
  that 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  during 
  the 
  

   preceding 
  winter. 
  ^ 
  

  

  Ditching; 
  coal 
  tar; 
  poisoning. 
  — 
  " 
  The 
  worms 
  may 
  be 
  prevented, 
  

   as 
  a 
  general 
  thing, 
  from 
  passing 
  from 
  one 
  field 
  to 
  another 
  by 
  judicious 
  

   ditching. 
  It 
  is 
  important, 
  however, 
  that 
  the 
  ditch 
  should 
  be 
  made 
  so 
  

   that 
  the 
  side 
  toward 
  the 
  field 
  to 
  be 
  protected 
  be 
  dug 
  under. 
  About 
  

   every 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  rods 
  a 
  deep 
  hole 
  in 
  the 
  ditch 
  should 
  be 
  made, 
  in 
  

   which 
  the 
  worms 
  will 
  collect, 
  so 
  that 
  they 
  can 
  be 
  killed 
  by 
  covering 
  

   them 
  with 
  earth 
  and 
  pressing 
  it 
  down. 
  They 
  may 
  also 
  be 
  destroyed 
  by 
  

  

  