﻿THE 
  ARMY 
  WORM 
  IN 
  NEW 
  JERSEY 
  IN 
  1880. 
  145 
  

  

  nomical 
  value. 
  Compare 
  her 
  restriction 
  witli 
  tlie 
  flitting 
  habit 
  of 
  her 
  

   queenly 
  relative, 
  the 
  Hawk-moth 
  — 
  Macrosila 
  qiiinquemaculata 
  — 
  parent 
  

   of 
  the 
  great 
  potato 
  worm. 
  Almost 
  with 
  a 
  shudder 
  one 
  remembers 
  that 
  

   terrible 
  invasion 
  of 
  Monmouth, 
  when 
  the 
  potato-fields 
  were 
  ruined 
  as 
  if 
  

   by 
  fire, 
  and 
  the 
  wagon 
  wheels 
  reeked 
  with 
  green 
  dripping 
  gore 
  as 
  they 
  

   entered 
  our 
  villages. 
  This 
  moth 
  deposits 
  her 
  eggs 
  on 
  the 
  under 
  side 
  of 
  

   the 
  potato 
  leaf, 
  but 
  only 
  one 
  or 
  two, 
  or 
  at 
  most 
  a 
  very 
  few, 
  on 
  each 
  

   plant; 
  hence 
  the 
  distribution 
  is 
  pretty 
  uniform 
  over 
  the 
  entire 
  field. 
  

  

  Though 
  it 
  may 
  seem 
  above 
  that 
  the 
  parent 
  of 
  the 
  Army 
  Worm 
  has 
  

   fair 
  intelligence, 
  we 
  may 
  not 
  think 
  so 
  well 
  o± 
  her 
  larval 
  offspring. 
  That 
  

   beautiful 
  lawn 
  of 
  Hollywood, 
  at 
  Long 
  Branch, 
  was 
  invaded 
  by 
  them. 
  

   The 
  emerald 
  sward 
  was 
  swept 
  as 
  if 
  burnt. 
  When 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  worms 
  

   came 
  against 
  a 
  tree 
  they 
  went 
  up 
  it, 
  passed 
  over 
  the 
  crotch, 
  then 
  de- 
  

   scended 
  at 
  the 
  other 
  side. 
  Twelve 
  or 
  thirteen 
  years 
  ago 
  a 
  corner 
  of 
  

   our 
  country 
  was 
  visited 
  by 
  the 
  Army 
  Worm 
  in 
  large 
  numbers. 
  Having 
  

   stripped 
  one 
  field 
  they 
  marched 
  for 
  the 
  next, 
  but 
  were 
  intercepted 
  by 
  a 
  

   small 
  running 
  stream. 
  There 
  is 
  no 
  " 
  turn 
  back 
  " 
  to 
  this 
  singular 
  worm. 
  

   On 
  came 
  this 
  great 
  automatic 
  army 
  — 
  no 
  halt 
  — 
  until, 
  crowded 
  forwaid, 
  

   a 
  compacted 
  mass 
  was 
  urged 
  on 
  to 
  the 
  water 
  to 
  serve 
  as 
  a 
  living 
  pon~ 
  

   toon, 
  over 
  which 
  the 
  army 
  jjassed 
  and 
  took 
  possession 
  of 
  the 
  new 
  for- 
  

   aging 
  ground. 
  This 
  crossing 
  of 
  running 
  water 
  has 
  been 
  noticed 
  by 
  Mr.. 
  

   Eiley. 
  

  

  Monmouth 
  is 
  an 
  old 
  county, 
  and 
  the 
  farms 
  generally 
  have 
  been 
  much 
  

   reduced 
  in 
  size 
  by 
  frequent 
  divisions. 
  Grain 
  and 
  grass 
  fields 
  run 
  from 
  

   ten 
  acres 
  to 
  forty, 
  but 
  the 
  latter 
  figure 
  is 
  very 
  high. 
  As 
  we 
  have 
  de- 
  

   scribed, 
  each 
  field 
  from 
  a 
  few 
  nesting 
  spots 
  would 
  originate 
  an 
  army. 
  

   Some 
  of 
  these 
  infested 
  fields 
  were 
  miles 
  apart, 
  the 
  intervening 
  territory 
  

   being 
  exempt. 
  I 
  got 
  returns 
  of 
  twenty 
  of 
  these 
  armies 
  in 
  one 
  township. 
  

   There 
  surely 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  less 
  than 
  one 
  hundred 
  in 
  the 
  county^ 
  They 
  

   seemed 
  to 
  have 
  a 
  penchant 
  for 
  the 
  best 
  farms. 
  

  

  1 
  LET 
  US 
  RECAPITULATE. 
  

  

  1. 
  We 
  can 
  localize 
  the 
  breeding 
  places. 
  The 
  mother 
  moth 
  selects 
  the 
  

   thick 
  and 
  shady 
  spots 
  in 
  the 
  grain 
  fields 
  and 
  meadows 
  as 
  the 
  right 
  places 
  

   in 
  which 
  to 
  lay 
  her 
  eggs, 
  thus 
  securing 
  for 
  the 
  larvae 
  shelter 
  and 
  tender 
  

   food. 
  

  

  2. 
  An 
  army 
  is 
  made 
  up 
  of 
  bands, 
  each 
  band 
  having 
  its 
  own 
  breeding 
  

   spot, 
  and 
  these 
  spots 
  are 
  centers 
  of 
  dissemination. 
  When 
  these 
  nest 
  ing 
  

   spots 
  are 
  eaten 
  off' 
  the 
  bands 
  spread, 
  traveling 
  in 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  food, 
  

   thus 
  uniting, 
  when, 
  so 
  to 
  speak, 
  the 
  clan 
  relation 
  is 
  lost. 
  They 
  now 
  

   form 
  one 
  hungry 
  and 
  marauding 
  army, 
  set 
  in 
  one 
  course 
  and 
  impelled 
  

   by 
  one 
  impulse. 
  It 
  is 
  at 
  this 
  point 
  of 
  theit 
  career 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  gener- 
  

   ally 
  first 
  noticed, 
  and 
  the 
  averment 
  Is 
  made, 
  '^ 
  They 
  have 
  come 
  all 
  of 
  a 
  

   sudden." 
  

  

  3. 
  A 
  thin 
  tillage 
  is 
  adverse 
  to 
  the 
  worms. 
  It 
  makes 
  the 
  conditions 
  

  

  10 
  E 
  c 
  

  

  