The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-05-09
NO L0cUSTS NEXT YEAR.
Doctor Stedman Says First Brood
Will Arrive in 1905.
REPUBLIC SPECIAL

SPECIAL
Columbia, Mo-. May There viii Be no
thirteen or seventeen year Iocusts In Mis-
souri, in the coming year. This is the
statement made to-day by Doctor J.. NJ.
Stedman, the State entomologist of Missouri
ana the State University. In the past few
weeks he has received a number of re-
quests for Information on the subject. Dos
sibly due to the publication of reports that
have emanated from other States None of
these broods will be in Missouri and mona
Will come into the State.
Doctor Stedman states that the appear
ance of these two kinds of locusts ia as
regular as clock work, and the sections In
which they will be found is accurately de-
termined. Their spread is very slow and
they are confined to certain territories.
According to Doctor Stedman there are
five broods Of the locust in Missouri, two of
The thirteen-year variety. and three of the
seventeen-year. The first of these to re-
turn to the State Is of the s-eventeen-year
variety. They will be here in 1905. They
are known as Missouri brood number seven
teen. They will appear that year In the
Central West and the eastern and SOUTH
western portions Of the State.
Missouri brood number eighteen Is a
thirteen-year locust, and It is not due in
the State until 1907. It extends all over
the State except in the northwest corner.
Missouri brood No. 13 is a seventeen-year
locust, and it will not appear again until
1912. Its operations are confined to the west
ern and northern sections of the State.
Missouri brood No. II is also a seventeen
year locust. 1t will not make its appearance.
however. until 1918. and will be found in
the western and northwestern sections of
Missouri.
Missouri brood No. Z is a thirteen-year
locust. 1t is due again in the central west.
the eastern and southwestern sections of
the State.
Doctor Stedman says that II locusts
should be found In this State this year It
will be something that was never known
before. He states that the farmers have no
occasion whatever for alarm in the matter.
This years brood, of which much has been
said and published, will not extend further
west than Eastern Illinois, and it will be
found mainly in Indiana.
The habits of the locust have been well
studied and a careful record made of the
localities in which they are to appear and
the times for such appearances noted The
adults of the locust deposit their eggs dur
ing the last of May in the stems OF trees.
They do their greatest damage to young
fruit trees. killing many during the years
they infest the localities. In about two
weeks the young hatch from these eggs and
fall to the ground. They enter the earth and
feed upon the roots of the trees. sometimes
going to a depth Of twenty feet In thir-
teen or seventeen years. according to the
brood. they crawl to the surface OF the
ground and transform into adults. There
Is absolutely no variation in this and. their |
appearance is as regular as clock work and
the localities to which they are confined
have been determined accurately. Owing to
their slow spread over territory there is no
danger OF their going beyond the localities
which have been noted. /