The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1902-05-30

and Nashville have answered, which
would indicate that local conditions
similar to those in the Smithsonian
grounds and in the fields about Wash
ington exist also in central Pennsylva-
mia and Tennessee. The department
has full records of their appearances
in 1885, and consequently knows ex-
actly where to look for them this year,
and its postal cards are expected to
return soon at the rate of several hun
dreds day indicating the existence OF
millions of locusts. According to its
charts, Maryland and the adjoining
counties of its neighbor States and
Indiana, with the adjoining counties
of its neighbor States, are to be most
affected by the ''plague.
WILL DO LITTLE INJURY.
These communities have no reason
to be alarmed. however, if the govern
mental entymologists are to be believed.
The seventeen-year locust is not a
pestilencc, in spite 0! the popular hor-
ror at its prospective appearance. 1t
never does any damage to anything
except youEg nu sery trees and the
young shoots of mature trees, and
rarely infl;cts any permanent injury
on the latter. When the female locust
is about to hatch its eggs, it digs
slight opening in the young branch of
the tree on which i, has found lodging.
Afterward strong wind will often
break off this branch at the point where
the eggs were interred. In this way
many young fruit and other trees have
been harmed by earlier broodS, and
euen the most hopeful OF the govern
ment's students does not expect all the
trees to escape this year.
No other crop can be Injured, how
ever, in the least. The locust does
not even touch wheat, corn, rye, oats,
berries, vegetables or any other product
of the field. During lis residence un-
dcrground he eats the roots which
cross his little tunnel, but this injury
is SO slight as to be almost incalculable.
The only general ground for appre-
hending the septcnd, cimal appearance
of this insect is that many persons dis
like the light Of them on the trees, and
cringe at the sound of them crawling
toward the tree trunks in the evening.
LoCUsTs HAVE MANY NEW ENEMIES.
By all scientific calculations this
years brood is not likely to off, nd
such sensibilities greatly. Many
agencies now oppose the brief existence
of the locust, or ''cicada scptend,cim,"
as he is termed in the reports OF the
Agricultural Department, which have
not operated against it heretofore. To
quote Chief Entymologist Howard,
''his life is endangered 10y our civilza-
ton" His burrow is only about two
feet deep, and is consequently destroyed
by deep blowing. Wherever macadam
roads or asphalt streets have been
built since the last brood the locusts
are imprisoned and cannot reach the
surface But most effective Of all, the
black birds, cat birds and sparrows
have learned to cat them and are goG-
bling up the brood in the Smithsonian
grounds as fast as the new locusts
hatch out of their old shells.
"When the locusts came here scveE-
tccn years ago explains Mr. Howard,
"the sparrows were themselves too
new to know what the insects were.
But they discovered what they were
ended. This year, then, they are on
the lookout for them and catch them
just as soon as the bugs appear. If
you look ont in the park now you will
see the birds gathered about the two
infected trees picking the new locusts
apart. The activities Of the sparrow
will probably d. more TO lessen the
next brood of scp,endccimal locusts
than any other cause The next brood
will be much smaller than this. After
thirty four years the brood will be
smaller still, and after a little more
time the whole species of this beautiful
insect will have become extinct
ARE BEAUTIFUL INSECTS.
A sight of the locusts undergoing
their change from the brown, small
and humble looking bug which has re-
quired seventeen years to develop into
the fine, white, coral-eyed insect of to-
day more than justifirs the scientists
description of the locust as 'bcautiful." :"
The bugs emerge through little
hole about the 81. of mans little
finger as soon as the sun is behind the
horizon. They then crawl dire city to
the trunk Of the nearest tree and climb
to the lower branches. There they
fasten themselves on leaves, branches,
twigs, anywhere ana in any position
for about an hour The brown shell
that which is found on the leaves and
ground after .he new locust has been
hatched-then splits and the forming
locust begins to appear.
When fully out Of his old Shell his
body is creamy white IN appearance,
except that his eyes are like coral and
there are occasional little black
splotchcs. The wings are in this stage