The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1914-03-03

She following article, by Prof. II. A.
Gossard, of the Wooster experiment
setation Is timely. Prof Gossard says:
This 1914 brood Is vigorous one
and may be expected to infiict consid-
.erable injury TO young orchard trees
throughout its range. Owing to the
thinning out of forest areas over the
territory occupied by the insects the
brood is gradually thinning down and
che numbers will doubtless be much
less abundant in many localities than
-Shey were seventeen years ago.
The chief damage by the cicada is
done by the adult females through
their habits of egg laying. The fe-
male is provided with sawlike owl
positor and with this she makes Incl.
sions or cuts into the twigs of trees
and sometimes into the trunks of
young trees. A row of these punctures
Is made Iongitudinally along the limb
OF twig, each being made double so
Ehat 1t consists of two pockets, each
pocket containing a double row of
eggs. The smaller twig OF such trees
as oak, hickory and apple are prefer.
red but the twigs or stems of almost
any tree or herbaceous plant may be
utilized. The damage to large shade
or forest trees is not usually excessive
though thousands of the insects may
occupy a single tree. But in newly
planted orchards, especially OF apple,
or in those from one to three years
old the damage is likely to be serious
and may be disastrous. Peach, pear
and grape are also often seriously in
1ured. Orchards surrounded by woods
or located on recent clearings are most
apt to suffer. The injured twigs are
quite readily broken Off by the winds,
either falling to the ground or remain
ing suspended during the remainder of
che summer with the brown dry leaves
still clinging TO them.
Recovery from injury is usually ap.
proximately complete, in case Of large
trees, in two or three years. Young
orchard trees, II otherwise healthy and
in vigorous growth, generally heal in
a few years so that the scars from the
wounds can hardly be detected. But
SneWly planted trees which have taken
hut little root at the time of attack
Zeal more slowly and may not wholly
recover for many years, Borers are
APt to seek entrance into the wood
through such openings and the woody
Spple aphis is quite certain to collect
In the fissures thus formed through
aire bark OF its preferred host trees.
The adult insects of both sexes
Thrust their needlelike bills through
che bark and imbibe the sap, of both
orchard and shade trees. While the
damage thus inflicted is believed to
DE small it is obvious that it Is moi
desirable to have large numbers oi
them sucking the sap from newly
Rransplanted trees, especially in times
of drouth.
The larvae of the cicada dwell un
der ground for II years and during
practically all of this time gain theil
mOUrishment by sucking sap from the
soOtIets OF trees or herbaceous plants
SO far as known but little damage is
aDne TO either plants or roots by this
kiRd of feeding. The insects grow Sc
slowly that the drain they make upor
tho plants attacked IL hardly percepti
bio.
The adult insects may be looked FOL
m Ohio in late May or early June
Under normal conditions they are mos
likely to appear numerously durins
The last week in May but the bulk o
Nhe brood may come little earlier cl
n little later than this according L
seasonal conditions. The brood usual
" lasts for Ave or six weeks, disap
pe2ring rather suddenly and very com
Rletely during early July.
The eggs hatch in six or seven weeks
after being deposited, the young es
Gaping from the egg nests in the twig
and dropping to the earth. The larvae
-ased on the roots of trees and plants
Tor ~ years when they mature, pupat,
and emboemerge through surfac,
Noies about as large as a mans littl,
&nga Sometimes they reach the sur
%ace several weeks ahead OF their nor
onal time 10 appear and may construc
0nd chimneys" over the ground, dc
SAstng emergence until tho proper dat
a@d proper weather conditions are a
AAnd. Many thousands OF the insect
SnRy ascend from single good size
aree.
Young orchard trees, newly plante
ssut or only transplanted for two o
three years. may have their trunks an
larger limbs wrapped with paper du
tng the egg laying period to proven
sd1hmaRe and the unDrOtactad unne