190 
[Assembly 
THE PALMER WORM. 
By Dr. Thaddrds William Harris. 
During the month of June, a small worm, or naked caterpillar, 
has been observed on apple treeSj in large numbers, throughout 
the greater part of New-England, and in the valley of the Hud¬ 
son, in New-York. By some persons it was thought to be a new 
comer; and by others was mistaken for a second generation of 
the canker worm, which disappeared about the time that these 
smaller insects began their ravages. This, however, is by no 
means the first visitation of the insect in such unwelcome and 
destructive profusion. As long ago as the year 1791, it prevailed 
through many parts of New-England, during the month of June, 
and at that time received the name of the Palmer worm. Some 
account of its ravages in orchards, and even among forest trees, 
at that date, may be found under the head of insects, in the second 
edition of Dr. Deane’s “New-England Farmer and Georgical 
Dictionary.” 
Communications concerning this insect, several of them accom¬ 
panied by specimens, have been sent to me from Bradford, Ando¬ 
ver, and Westford, Mass.; from New Boston and Keene, New- 
Hampshire; from New Haven and Salisbury, Conn.; and from 
Providence, R. L Apple, cherry and plum trees in my own gar¬ 
den, also afforded me a few of the same insects, which were first 
observed there about the 10th of June. Within the past three 
weeks, numerous accounts of this supposed new or hitherto un¬ 
noticed depredator, have been published in all our agricultural 
newspapers. In some places, orchards have suffered from these 
insects in the same way and to as great an extent as from the 
ravages of canker worms; and in some cases, not only the leaves, 
but the young fruit has been destroyed by them. 
These worms, or caterpillars, grow to the length of about half 
an inch. Though varying somewhat in hue, they are mostly of a 
pale yellowish green color, with two blackish lines along the top 
of the back, and a brownish head. Under a magnifier, a few 
short hairs can be seen on the body, arising singly from little 
black points, arranged in threes on each side of every ring; and 
there are usually two, more or less conspicuous, semicircular, 
