﻿THE 
  ARMY 
  WORM 
  IN 
  NEW 
  JERSEY 
  IN 
  1880. 
  143 
  

  

  the 
  highest 
  or 
  closest 
  grass 
  — 
  that 
  growing 
  in 
  moist 
  places, 
  and 
  notably 
  

   those 
  little 
  hummocks 
  or 
  tussocks 
  caused 
  by 
  the 
  droppings 
  of 
  cattle. 
  

   If 
  heat 
  or 
  dryness 
  affect 
  their 
  food 
  they 
  will 
  select 
  the 
  grain-fields 
  as 
  

   affording 
  more 
  succulent 
  food, 
  besides 
  better 
  shelter 
  and 
  shade. 
  Let 
  

   me 
  instance 
  some 
  careful 
  observations 
  made 
  on 
  four 
  farms, 
  three 
  of 
  

   which 
  were 
  near 
  together, 
  but 
  the 
  last 
  one 
  to 
  be 
  mentioned 
  was 
  about 
  

   two 
  miles 
  away. 
  On 
  one 
  was 
  a 
  wheat-field, 
  which 
  covered 
  the 
  site 
  from 
  

   which 
  certain 
  stables 
  had 
  been 
  moved 
  the 
  year 
  before. 
  Another 
  part 
  

   of 
  the 
  field 
  lay 
  low, 
  and 
  received 
  the 
  " 
  wash 
  " 
  of 
  the 
  higher 
  ground. 
  On 
  

   these 
  places 
  the 
  wheat 
  grew 
  thick 
  and 
  highj 
  in 
  fact, 
  too 
  luxuriantly, 
  

   for 
  it 
  became 
  badly 
  ••' 
  lodged." 
  These 
  two 
  spots 
  were 
  sh^iJy, 
  and 
  the 
  

   food 
  was 
  sweet 
  and 
  tender. 
  There 
  were 
  no 
  other 
  such 
  spots 
  in 
  the 
  field, 
  

   and 
  these, 
  and 
  only 
  these, 
  were 
  chosen 
  by 
  the 
  moths 
  in 
  which 
  to 
  lay 
  

   their 
  eggs. 
  

  

  Doubtless 
  very 
  many 
  moths 
  selected 
  these 
  spots, 
  for 
  here 
  the 
  worms 
  

   were 
  bred 
  in 
  great 
  numbers. 
  These 
  spots 
  were 
  soon 
  eaten 
  off' 
  clean 
  — 
  

   clover, 
  and 
  grass, 
  and 
  wheat 
  leaves, 
  and 
  heads 
  — 
  for 
  in 
  these 
  places 
  the 
  

   wheat 
  ears 
  were 
  still 
  green 
  and 
  tender. 
  From 
  these 
  nesting 
  spots 
  they 
  

   spread, 
  a 
  voracious 
  army, 
  over 
  the 
  whole 
  field, 
  clearing 
  up 
  everything 
  

   that 
  had 
  not 
  become 
  too 
  hard 
  to 
  eat. 
  

  

  On 
  another 
  farm 
  close 
  by 
  was 
  a 
  field 
  of 
  wheat 
  which 
  had 
  received 
  

   peculiar 
  tillage. 
  It 
  belonged 
  to 
  a 
  Mr. 
  Bodee, 
  a 
  very 
  intelligent 
  amateur 
  

   farmer, 
  whose 
  clear 
  observations 
  have 
  been 
  of 
  substantial 
  service 
  to 
  me. 
  

   He 
  holds 
  that 
  wheat 
  should 
  not 
  be 
  crowded, 
  and 
  should 
  be 
  worked 
  

   with 
  a 
  cultivator, 
  much 
  as 
  we 
  do 
  com; 
  that 
  room 
  and 
  encouragement 
  

   should 
  be 
  given 
  each 
  plant 
  to 
  enlarge 
  itself 
  by 
  stoles; 
  that 
  one 
  well 
  

   stoloned 
  plant 
  is 
  better 
  than 
  several 
  plants 
  forced 
  to 
  occupy 
  the 
  same 
  

   surface 
  of 
  ground. 
  In 
  sowing, 
  the 
  field 
  was 
  drilled 
  only 
  one 
  way, 
  and 
  

   every 
  third 
  drill 
  was 
  left 
  seedless; 
  and 
  in 
  cultivating, 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  teeth 
  

   of 
  the 
  implement 
  were 
  taken 
  out, 
  so 
  that 
  it 
  could 
  straddle 
  the 
  double 
  

   rows. 
  In 
  this 
  way 
  the 
  field 
  was 
  gone 
  over, 
  both 
  in 
  the 
  autumn 
  and 
  in 
  

   the 
  spring. 
  There 
  were 
  but 
  three 
  little 
  spots 
  where 
  the 
  wheat 
  had 
  

   lodged, 
  all 
  of 
  which 
  were 
  breeding-places 
  for 
  the 
  worms, 
  from 
  which, 
  

   after 
  eating 
  them 
  off, 
  they 
  spread 
  over 
  the 
  field, 
  but 
  seemed 
  to 
  be 
  com- 
  

   paratively 
  harmless 
  ; 
  for 
  the 
  tillage 
  mentioned 
  let 
  in 
  the 
  sunlight 
  and 
  

   quickened 
  the 
  ripening 
  of 
  the 
  grain. 
  It 
  was 
  noticed 
  here 
  that 
  the 
  birds, 
  

   having 
  more 
  wing-room, 
  were 
  quite 
  busy 
  feeding 
  on 
  and 
  carrying 
  off' 
  

   the 
  worms, 
  a 
  fact 
  not 
  observed 
  by 
  us 
  in 
  any 
  other 
  wheat-field. 
  Per- 
  

   haps 
  the 
  cultivator 
  had 
  mellowed 
  the 
  ground, 
  for 
  the 
  worms, 
  during 
  the 
  

   hot 
  sunshine, 
  buried 
  themselves 
  in 
  the 
  cultivated 
  space 
  and 
  were 
  easily 
  

   unearthed 
  by 
  the 
  birds. 
  

  

  • 
  In 
  a 
  field 
  on 
  another 
  farm 
  the 
  wheat 
  was 
  somewhat 
  thin; 
  but 
  on 
  a 
  

   spot 
  where 
  a 
  compost 
  had 
  lain, 
  the 
  wheat 
  was 
  rank 
  and 
  thick. 
  There 
  

   the 
  worms 
  bred, 
  and, 
  after 
  devouring 
  their 
  nesting 
  place, 
  they 
  spread 
  

   over 
  the 
  field. 
  

  

  The 
  fourth 
  field 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  particular 
  facts 
  must 
  be 
  given, 
  is 
  that 
  

  

  