OBSERVATIONS AND EXPERIMENTS 



IN THE PRACTICAL WORK OF THE DIVISION 



FURTHER NOTES ON THE ARMY WORM. 



In the last annual report of the Department we published the most 

 important portion of the chapter on the Arm}' Worm in advance from 

 the Third Eeport of the United States Entomological Commission. In 

 this article we give some additional notes, together with an account of 

 the rather abnormal occurrence of the worms in the summer of 1882 in 

 certain cranberry bogs in Kew Jersey. 



THE ARMY WORM IN 1883. 



In spite of the fact that the spring of 1883 was favorable for the 

 development of the Army Worm, its scarcity almost all over the coun- 

 try has been remarkable. In few years within our recollection have 

 there been so few complaints of damage by the worm. In fact, no well 

 authenticated case of injury has come to our notice,* though in the lat- 

 ter part of June it was rumored to be present in force in Eastern 

 Pennsylvania. In the vicinity of Washington, in localities where last 

 year the moths were extremely numerous, but few individuals have been 

 found. 



EXPERIMENTS UPON 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, com- 

 ing amiss. Wheat and oats seem to be their favorite 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 in 1881 feeding to a greater or less 

 extent on nax'iu Illinois, although this is mentioned by Fitch as one of 

 the crops which the worms will not touch. They have also been re- 

 ported to eat onions, peas, beans, and other vegetables, though prob- 

 ably only when pressed with hunger. As stated in our Eighth Missouri 

 Eeport, upon the reliable authority of Mr. B. F. Mills. o\' Makanda, ill., 

 they have also been known to eat the leaves of fruit trees. Ordinarily 

 clover is disregarded by the worms, though they occasionally nibble at 

 it. A timothy held is often eaten to the ground, leaving the clover 

 scattered through it standing. In this connection it may be well to 



* Since this was writteu it has been reported as injurious at East Windsor) Conn., 

 during Juno. 



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