Middletown transcript., 1906-02-03
THE SEVENTEEN YEAR LOCUST
The Pest is Due to Make Its Appearance
This Year

This Year
The II year locust is due to make its
appearance this year. According to pro-
lessor Ii. A. Surface, economist zoologist
of the Pennsylvania State Department of
Agriculture, sit is very important that
we make preparation now for the occur
renee of these pests next spring. 1t is
true that there was brood of locust in
some of the southern counties in Pennsv-
lvania and in Delaware during 1902, but
this was the one commonly known to en-
tonologist as Brood No. XXI. Tie
brood which is to appear next spring is
by FAR the larger and more destructive,
aud is known to entomologists as Brood
No. VII. This is, of course, the mmed-
late progeny OF the locusts which occurred
in the outbreak of 1889.
I'm IFS entire scope over tie country.
it covers portion of Southern MassaclIu.
setts, Rhode Island, Connecticut. Long
Island and a portion of New Y4rk, New
Jersey, Delaware and Maryland to the
Chesapeake bay ,and extends inIandacrnss
Pennsylvania, Maryland and West Vir-
ginia to Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Ken
lucky. This pest will not, of course, oc-
cur in all OF the counties OF Pennsylvania,
but it may be anticipated in all excepting
the northern counties. The best thing
for fruit growers to do is to inquire of
older residents, if the outbreak OF the IT.
year locust occurred in their region in
1899. II it be locality where these
were not present, then it need not be
feared that they will occur there next
spring However, wherever this pest
was present in 1889, fruit growers should .
know Of this and be OH the alert.
''They should not permit their trees,
especially young trees, to remain nntrim-
med until after the cicada or SO called
locust are deposited next spring. The
reason for permitting the trees to remain
untrimnled is that the pests will thus
place their eggs in the wood Of many
branches, and the symmetry Of the top
can be preserved, and many of the
branches that are especially desired may |
be retained. However, if the trees be
trimmed early nest spring, particularly |
if they be young trees, all the branches
that are permitted to remain will BE-, of |
course, branches that are desired. Upon |
these locusts will crowd and will pierce
them in the process Of laying their eggs |
during June. The branches will be so |
badly injured that they will be worth
less, and the trees will be seriously de- |
formed or set back by cutting them off,
as there may be no other branches to |
take their place. II they be not cut off
after the injury the vitality OF the tree
will be greatly reduced, and the injury of
the same will be permanent. The more
twigs that are permitted TO remain, es-
pecially on young trees, the more scat
tered will be the injury, and the more
easily can one trim his tree in such
manner as to cut away the injured parts
and preserve some Of the main branches
at places where they may be desired.
'The reason for not planting young
trees next spring in localities where the
cicada or locust will occur is that the pest /
appears to delight in placing its eggs in
the trutk and large branches OF small I
trees, and when such trees are afflicted it
s impossible to restore them, sthey will
always show the results of injuries re-
,eiyed. A break in the trunk during stress
of wind will occur at the place where the
iree has been weakened by such means.
Blight, decay and death start atsuch spots.
L should be clearly remembered that it
s folly to plant young orchards next
'pring in those regions where the cicada
or locust occurred in 1889 and will appear
lgain this year. Especially and
upon ground that was
covered with bushes and trees II years
lgo should this be avoided.
III the instruction here given be fol-
owed with care, and the pruning or
thinning be deferred until after the eggs
ire laid next June, this cln be made
worth thousands Of dollars in saving
Toung trees, but if such directions be not
observed there will be hundreds Of peo-
Die writing, when il is too late, asking
What to do to saSe their trees from in
nry. Now il The time to prepare to pre-
'ent this, when the entire means il to be
prevention rather than remedy" 4
Tue THaSscRlpr, $l.G0 per year.