Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1919-01-26
LOCUSTS COMING
This YEAR; TWO
BROODS FOR GA.
Continued fom Page One. {

spot where it entered the ground thir-
teen or seventeen years, then the mys-
terry disappears, but the interest, if
anything, is intensified. One of the
queerest things in nature is that in
spite of such extremely slow growth
in their subterranean habitat, all the
millions of individuals attain maturity
and burst from the ground at almost
the same moment.
Upon every appearance OF large
broOds of the cicada, fear is aroused
that trees will be destroyed, particu~
Early young trees of the fruiting and
ornamental species. There would
seem to be some ground for such fear.
The number of insects is so tremen-
dous that one can hardly understand
how they can deposit their eggs in
the young and tender branches of the
trees without killing them. Yet the
fact remains that there have been out
outbreaks Of cicadas in some sections
of the United States in most of the
years since this country was discover
ed. and that no very grave damage
yet has been done. Very young fruit
trees sometimes are killed or seriously
injured, but little or no permanent
injury is done to forest trees or ma
ture trees of any kind and measures
of protection can be employed that will
save the young and tender stock from
serious injury
Inasmuch as the coming 1919 brood
of locusts may be one OF the largest
on record, it is particularly import
ant to allay excessive fear of destruc-
ton to timber as well as to have peo-
pie on guard, so that the few prevent
i've measures possible may be applied.
The belief that the 1919 brood will be
exceptionally large is based on the fact
that the 17-year brood coming out This
year is Brood 10, perhaps the largest
of the 17-year broods, and that Brood
Is of the 13-year family comes out at
the same time The year 1866 was the
greatest locust year in history. In
that year Brood 10, the largest of the
13-year broods, appeared in conjunc>
ton with Brood 10, the two combining
to make an unprecedented infestation.
The coincidence of the largest 17-year
brood with smaller 13-year brood
this year will not bring about condi-
tons approaching those Of 1868.
The United States department Of
agriculture has long kept close check
ON all of the broods of both families
end is able to say with almost COM
plete accuracy just when and over
what territory any brood will appear
The two broods, due this year are
Brood 10, which belongs to the 17-year
family, and Brood IS, which belongs
to the 13-year family. The former will
appear mostly in northern territory
and the latter in southern territory.
Brood 10 has the widest distribution
Of any brood. Beginning at the east
ern extremity of Long Island, it
sweeps west and south to the Missis
sippi river at Cairo, Ill, and extends
as far north as central Wisconsin, and
as far south as Middle Georgia, with
some isolated colonies as far north
east as upper Vermont, and one as far
west as the boundary line between
Iowa and Nebraska. The whole or
portions of twenty states are included
within this range. There are three
regions of greater occurrence, one
covering New Jersey, Maryland and
eastern Pennsylvania, another cover
ing all of Indiana, the greater part
of Ohio and southern Michigan, and
third covering western North Caro-
lima, eastern Tennessee, and north
ern Georgia. The records of this brood
have been kept from IT'S to 1902, the
date of it's last appearance. In 1902,
for the first time since very careful
study of the vicada began, it was not
accompanied by a 13-year brood, and
its actual range was more nearly de-
termined than before, although the old
limits of distribution were pretty gen
orally confirmed In the regions of
greatest occurrence, this brood will
probably appear in dense swarms here
and there, but will not cover the ter
ritory uniformly.
Brood IS, the 13-year brood that
comes out this year, is comparatively
small brood and is made up of scat
tered colonies rather than of the dense
and compact swarms that mark the
larger broods. Five states are af-
fected by alabama, Georgia,
North Carolina, South Carolina and