Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1919-07-01
LOCUST NOW PASSING
asecss Which Still Cling 70 Life
Reported TO BE Small
LITTLE DAMAGE DONE

asSA - A - - - ~ 49, - - a -
The vast majority 0f the I7.year
lncusss have aung their hume
nimitlis and have departed this life.
Only rev hardy specimens are hang
sng Oh, with The Inevitable crowding
elose upon them. This Ii the sub
stance Of i statement By r. u. Cory.
aatomolngisi Of the Maryland State
College u Agriculture. College Park.
near Washington He has made q
kour og the State. except the northern
parts al Hartford and baltimore conn-
lies, and reports that The visitation Of
sha clcada this year III far below that
81 fl years ago. The damage, he III
pleased 10 notes Is proporfiOnateiy
small. being confined principally III
The western part OF Maryland.
The reason for Hits III seen ID the
extensive clearing and ctiskfyating of
land throughout the State III the Inter
val between the present and the last
. sayaslons The locust II partial til
wooded sections. fDr there The female
II the species finds accommodations
eor egg laying. The cleaning mp Of
w0odianda "a make room fOr more
corn and wheat fields and the planting
os other crops has deprived the i0-
Gust OF hia rOosting places. The chem.
seals used III fertilizers also have had
IN influence ID reducing the crop.
Population NnRed War
Then. too, MT. Cory says that man
has been relentless enemy Of the
elcada and when The last invasion was
on wrought deadly execution upon the
Insects aa they emerged from their
long aacluaIogl bushels Iii them were
destroyed. and every female thus dis
patched to the happy beyond means
the elimination Of some 600 or 600
agga as her contribution I'd postsrity.
The theory III an apoluglst for the
cscnd0. who discounted the alleged
damage L does BY stating that the
swIg splitting was natures method of
pruning the trees. aid MOI impress the
State eflt0rnol0Rlst when Ii was
brought to his attention He appar-
emily hasn't much confidence In the
IDcnst's ahiilly To discriminate III se
lccitng twiga 10 split open
THE damage done to shade trees
may not be SO severe. said he. hut
when Ii comes To fruit trees the or
uanrdists would prefer I'd do their own
pruning according I'd weIl-kn0wn prin-
ciplea of furthering fruit production
rho cicntia makes no distinction he
tween fruit spurs and other twigs.
which Il not likely III improve an Or
Csiard Locusts Iii an orchard very
frequently undo tho work of yeara and
compel The orehartilst 10 begin al
over again. !"
Especially Hard On Fruit Trees
Ii seems that these pestiferous III
aects nro especially hard OH peach
sgaea and the young trees III other spes
cies. Their tiepredafions often mean
the complete destruction of young or
rlarsls and mean heavy loss To the
Ownera. Tho Extension Service III
Tho State College took occasion 10
warn fgnllgrOwepg against this pos
ability some months before the locust
waa due. and advised the wrapping OF
y0ung trees IN tobacco cotton cloth.
This was done In parts Of The State
and proved to be The most effective
way To prevent damage sprays ana
powders have little effect The locust
sa NOT loaf.ehewing insect unsi hence
does not get these poisons into It's sy
tenn.
Around baltimore there has been
decided subsistence 0f the veeal efforts
81 tho eicgsla. and countless dena 10
casas found on the naths and in the
woods tell the story Of their demise
There has heeR some slight tialnags ~
fruit trees lereai,out, but nothing like
shat had been feared As has been
acted throughout the State s. Mr.
Cory, the number Of the visitors has
been comparatively small
Rnilaimg Lessons Visitation
Just as the clearing and cultivating
ns land has reduced the tribe IN the
country sections. so the development
og Raltimores suburbs. tile hnllding of
houses laying asif paths and roads
have played havoc with the urban
members Of the cicatla family II Isl
certain that the cicada Is on the de
cline. II ne lost ont iii such i rate an
nnally lie would Soon be extinct, hui
the warfare Of man and adverse con
aitions Of nature only get chance IT
him az long intervals