﻿146 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  COMMISSION. 
  

  

  of 
  life 
  liarder 
  for 
  them, 
  less 
  shade, 
  more 
  heat, 
  earlier 
  ripening, 
  and 
  

   quicker 
  toughening 
  of 
  grass 
  and 
  grain, 
  and 
  greater 
  freedom 
  for 
  the 
  

   birds. 
  

  

  WHAT 
  SHOULD 
  BE 
  DONE. 
  

  

  4. 
  Till 
  uniformly, 
  and 
  not 
  too 
  close. 
  You 
  may 
  get 
  less 
  wheat, 
  but 
  you 
  

   will 
  get 
  better, 
  and 
  the 
  worms 
  Avill 
  fare 
  worse. 
  

  

  5. 
  Try 
  to 
  find 
  out 
  where 
  the 
  caterpillar 
  originates. 
  Beginning 
  early 
  

   in 
  May, 
  watch 
  the 
  thick 
  spots 
  and 
  the 
  damj) 
  x)laces 
  in 
  meadow 
  and 
  grain. 
  

   This 
  inspection 
  is 
  especially 
  called 
  for 
  if 
  the 
  winter 
  has 
  been 
  mild 
  and 
  

   the 
  spring 
  is 
  warm. 
  As 
  described 
  by 
  Eiley, 
  the 
  eggs 
  are 
  very 
  small 
  

   and 
  round 
  when 
  first 
  laid, 
  of 
  a 
  glistening 
  white, 
  but 
  becoming 
  yellowish. 
  

   They 
  are 
  laid 
  in 
  stringy 
  groups 
  containing 
  from 
  five 
  to 
  twenty 
  eggs. 
  

   They 
  should 
  be 
  looked 
  for 
  in 
  and 
  near 
  the 
  axils 
  of 
  the 
  leaves 
  j 
  that 
  is, 
  

   in 
  the 
  spout-shaped 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  blade, 
  near 
  the 
  stem. 
  In 
  this 
  hollow 
  

   of 
  the 
  leaf 
  the 
  eggs 
  are 
  glued, 
  and 
  sometimes 
  the 
  two 
  edges 
  of 
  the 
  leaf 
  

   are 
  so 
  drawn 
  together 
  that 
  the 
  eggs 
  look 
  like 
  a 
  white 
  streak. 
  Should 
  

   you 
  find 
  the 
  eggs, 
  if 
  in 
  quantity, 
  it 
  might 
  not 
  be 
  practicable 
  to 
  attempt 
  

   collecting 
  them, 
  but 
  you 
  have 
  found 
  a 
  breeding 
  spot, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  now 
  pos- 
  

   sible, 
  and 
  without 
  injury 
  to 
  the 
  grain 
  or 
  grass 
  at 
  this 
  early 
  stage, 
  to 
  ex- 
  

   tinguish 
  the 
  worm 
  with 
  a 
  weak 
  solution 
  of 
  London 
  purple 
  or 
  Paris 
  green. 
  

   If 
  the 
  spots 
  are 
  small 
  they 
  could 
  be 
  cut 
  out 
  with 
  a 
  sickle 
  and 
  fed 
  to 
  stock. 
  

   If 
  the 
  eggs 
  are 
  hatched 
  the 
  crinkling 
  sound 
  made 
  when 
  feeding, 
  which 
  is 
  

   in 
  the 
  early 
  evening 
  and 
  just 
  before 
  the 
  morning 
  dawn, 
  will 
  to 
  a 
  good 
  ear 
  

   betray 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  the 
  larvse. 
  

  

  Our 
  Army 
  Worm 
  is 
  Leucania 
  unipuncta, 
  for 
  there 
  are 
  other 
  caterpil- 
  

   lars^ 
  which 
  are 
  wrongly 
  so 
  called. 
  The 
  moth 
  is 
  4:5^^ 
  or 
  about 
  IJ 
  inches 
  

   in 
  expanse 
  of 
  wing, 
  and 
  24™°^ 
  or 
  about 
  ^ 
  inch 
  in 
  length 
  of 
  body. 
  The 
  

   color 
  is 
  very 
  plain, 
  being 
  a 
  reddish-brown 
  or 
  cinnamon, 
  with 
  a 
  double 
  

   white 
  spot 
  or 
  blotch 
  on 
  each 
  front 
  wing. 
  

  

  The 
  insect 
  is 
  with 
  us 
  the 
  whole 
  year. 
  In 
  the 
  pupa 
  state, 
  in 
  the 
  ground, 
  

   or 
  under 
  stones 
  and 
  other 
  bodies, 
  they 
  pass 
  a 
  large 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  year, 
  in- 
  

   cluding 
  the 
  winter, 
  while 
  many 
  perfect 
  moths 
  hibernate 
  under 
  the 
  shelter 
  

   of 
  some 
  concealing 
  object. 
  In 
  the 
  spring 
  the 
  mother 
  moth 
  devotes 
  her- 
  

   self 
  to 
  egg-laying 
  j 
  which 
  done, 
  a 
  day 
  or 
  two 
  suffices 
  at 
  most, 
  when 
  she 
  

   dies 
  of 
  sheer 
  exhaustion. 
  The 
  appearance 
  of 
  the 
  one-spotted 
  Leucania 
  

   in 
  large 
  armies, 
  as 
  a 
  rule, 
  can 
  only 
  occur 
  ^fter 
  intervals 
  of 
  several 
  years. 
  

   The 
  weather 
  conditions 
  which 
  caused 
  their 
  appearance 
  in 
  New 
  Jersey 
  

   in 
  1880 
  in 
  such 
  amazing 
  numbers 
  were 
  very 
  remarkable. 
  The 
  winter 
  

   had 
  been 
  so 
  exceptionally 
  mild 
  that 
  the 
  moths 
  came 
  safely 
  through 
  

   hibernation 
  and 
  in 
  large 
  numbers. 
  A 
  rainless 
  May, 
  and 
  unusually 
  

   warm, 
  brought 
  in, 
  in 
  effect, 
  a 
  premature 
  summer. 
  Early 
  potatoes 
  failed 
  ; 
  

   corn 
  had 
  to 
  be 
  replanted 
  5 
  rye 
  was 
  in 
  ear 
  in 
  April; 
  wheat 
  began 
  head- 
  

   ing 
  by 
  the 
  12th 
  of 
  May, 
  and 
  such 
  was 
  the 
  heat 
  that 
  the 
  filling 
  of 
  the 
  

   ears 
  and 
  the 
  getting 
  out 
  of 
  milk 
  followed 
  fast. 
  Wheat-cutting 
  began 
  

   June 
  18, 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  month 
  the 
  harvest 
  generally 
  was 
  over. 
  

  

  