The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1885-07-17
The Seventeen Year Loousts.

L lie clcau;p, or 'SeVenteen'yehr 10
GUSTS" have appeared in large numbers
at Louisville, Kentucky, and in other
districts throughout the States, and as
we have in former articles said some
thing about the expected arrival of
these insects, few particulars about
their life history will doubtless be in
teresting to many.
So far as can be learned these insects
should not be called locusts at all, see
ing that they belong to the cicdds or
harvest flies. The insect under consid-
Grafton has the modest name cicada
septendecina, or seventeen year cicada.
they have broad, short bodies, broad
heads, large red eyes on each side of
the head, with three eyelets on the
crown. The wings and their cases are
veined and transparent, the body is
brown, the legs reddish-brown with no
power of springing like the grasshop-
pers. The male supplies the music
from pair of kettle drums, one on
each side Of the body just back of the
wings.
The insect has been known inthis
country since 1888, having appeared at
regular intervals of seventeen years
since that date.
The seventeen-year cicada does no
great damage to crops, for his food is
taken under ground, and when visible
his mind is on love intent, not food.
Egg-laying-The process OF egg.
laying is interesting, rs the only dam
age done by this insect is when the fe-
male lays her egg'.
The female is provided with an in
strument by which she pierces the
limbs of trees, at the same time depos-
iting her eggs in pairs, in sort of nest
which usually contains from fifteen to
twenty eggs. After laying an aggre-
gate of from four to five hundred eggs
in nests made In different trees, the fe-
male becomes exhausted and dies.
Frequently the limb also dies and
falls to the ground, when the young
hatch out after month or so, and at
once burrow into the ground and search
for the rootlets of tree, where they
anchor themselves for a seventeen year
sucking match. The tree frequently
dies after year or two if the insects
are attached to its roots in large num-
bers.
In the course of time they grow
larger, and when their hunger is salts
fled, that is to say, after seventeen
years of continuous feeding, they begin
to think of getting up into the air, for
which purpose they make passages to-
wards the earth's surface. They issue
from the earth and usually alight on the
top of blade of grass or some tree;
here they begin to feel uncomfortable.
and after severe struggle and con-
tinued wriggling, crack the skin and
issue forth new and perfect insect
SIN this state he remains week or
two, perphaps more, exhausting in this
short time the strength it required sew
enteen years of earnest eating to OBJ
tain AT this stage of life the cicada
is bent on love alone, enjoys it for a
short season, and starving, dies. -
Farmers Reoiep.
"Father," he SAID, the old gentle
man looked up, 'you are the presi,
dent OF silver mining company,
and can tell me what an assessment
is"
"Yes, my sou We are just now
sending ont an assessment of twenty
per cent 1t means that everyone own
ing shares in the company must pay
twenty cents on every dollar
"Oh, that's it! And now what's a
dividend y
A dividend is the sharing of a pro
fit with stockholders. That is, when
the officers of company so far forget
themselves as to have more cash ON
hand than they know what TO do with,
it is divided up. There isn't much use
in your remembering the word and its
Interpretation.
Certainly-never forget that. When
assessments fail the country fails. One
dividend of three per cent. excuses five
assessments Cor ten per cent, Now run
out and play
A good test for the fitness of water
Tor animals to drink is the placing in
it of live fish. If they continue to live
the water is good enough for the pur-
pose, Try to so arrange your garden
as to take at least two crops from the
whole land let late squashes, melons,
turnips, or cabbage follow the early
peas, greens, and lettuce celery fol
lows onions, early cabbage or greens,
and horseradish follow beets or lettuce.
A little iorethoueht in planting will
enable skilful gardener TO take a
good deal of produce from little
land