The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-03-31
But 1t Will Be Some Time
Before Species Is
Extinct
DUE TO APPEAR
EARLY NEXT MAY
Eggs of Periodical Cicada, Deposited
in 1902, Will Hatch by the Millions
and Insects Will Come to Surface
Whenever Possible.
Whenever Possible

Whenever Possible.
WASHINGTON, March 29,-Haye you
IN idea Of the absolute in hopelessness?
Well, let it be said that the house in
which you live is comparatively new
built within the past II years. The ground
on which it stands was originally wood |
land In the summer of 1902 all the trees
thereabouts were full of l7-year iocusts.
Eggs were deposited in the branches, the
larvae came out, dropped lightly to the
ground. and dug in. The long period OF
subterranean existfn.e is almost ended
In May of this year the insects viii start
toward the light and air-and will come
in contact with the concrete floor of Your
cellar! There may be another situation
as hopeless, hut certainly none more so,
That clearing up Of woodland for the
building Of houses and for cultivation is
the principal agency that is making the
l7-year locust, whose real name is the
periodical cicada, vanishing species DIR.
Gideon b. Smith, one of the earlier Sc
ancholy note to creep into his invaluable
manuscript when he wrote that future
generations, il they read his writings at
all, would shake their heads and thinl,
OF him IS a romanccr In the same note,
also, G. l. Marlatt, one OF the latest
systematic observers, writes in his bulle-
tin. To the lover Of nature, there is
something regrettable in this slow exter-
nination Of an insect which presents, as
does the periodical cicada, so much that
is interesting and anomalous
Thus, the present. day experts Of the
United States department of agriculture
agree with the early observer that the
! time will come when there will be no
periodical cicadas left
! That time. however, is a long way off
There will be multiplied millions of them
/ this year and in other years to come
/ For many persons the cIcada viii be as
new a sight as it was TO the first observ
ers when they came from Europe to the
| American forests Modern writing ON the
subject is done, OF course, III the light ,ni
All the observations that nave been made
through more than 200 years. They lact
the freshness OF the writings of men wht
saw the cicada before literature OF ths
insect had been built up.
i Those carly writings, therefore, possess
an unusual interest
In 1869 Nathaniel Moreton. who livec
at Cambridge Mass, wrote New Eng
lands Memorial In it he told of .;
lsiud Of a pestilent fever that had pre-
vailed in 1888 and carried of many o
tho whites and Indians in and near Piim
\ outh'
1T is to be Observed he says, .'tha
he spring before there was a nGmerou
company OF Flies, which were like TO
)igness unto Wasps or BUNDLE Bees, the,
came ont OF little holes in the ground
and did cat up the green things, and mad
such constant yelling noise asmade al
the woods ring of them ard ready to dea
the hearers"
The old gentleman is to be excused 70
believing that the cicadas did eat II
the green things" The appearance o
the dead and w:thcred branches doubtles
wos such as TO Justify such q conclusion
| One II NJ supposed to be Thora
Matthews, son OF Gov. Samuel Matthew
| OF Virginia who observed the eicadas i
1915, fell into the same error.
/
H writes Of the disasters Of that year, eva
swarms OF flies about an inch long and bi
\ as the tip Of mans little finger. risin
| out OF spigot holes in the earth, which ca
the ncw-sprouted leaves from the TOT
Of the trees without other harm, and
month left us
II Pehr Kahn d number of years late
| was a more accurate observer. He wro'
| report on America for the Swedish go
Il ernment, in which he said;
There are a kind OF locusts whiC
: about every 18th year come hither in i
credible numbers They come out Of Il
ground in the middle Of May and NAL,
for six weeks together, such noise
the trees and woods that two persol
who meet in such places can not unde
stand each other unless they sneak loud
than the locusts can chirp. During tn
time they make with the sting in the
tail. holes in the soft bark Of the lit