The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-06-22

be some evidence to show that it is
the parent group of all the septen-
decim. Broods II. Ill. ", ". XIII.
and XIV. are the other major broods.
The first four appeared from 1911 to
1914. In 1911 from Connecticut to
Carolina, 1912 in Iowa, 1913 in Iowa,
Kansas and Missouri and 1914 closely
packed in Ohio and West Virginia
The present brood Is In three prin-
cipal centres. One in New Jersey,
Pennsylvania and Maryland, one CEN
tring along the Tennessee Carolina and
Tennessee Georgia boundaries and the
third and largest in Ohio, Indiana and
Michigan. They scatter more thinly
through the intervening States and
send out offshoots into the bordering
ones. as that on long Island.
Next year will be a light one with
necticut Valley and in Rhode Island.
The next heavy year will be 1928
when the historic Plymouth Rock
Brood XIV. will spread from there
over almost as broad an extent as
does Brood X. of this year New York
and New Jersey will see some clusters
of Brood XIV. in 1924, and 1925 will
seei but few tiny spots of the cicadn
far out beyond the Mississippi.
Thus the seventeen Year round will
run its course with a different brood
appearing some place every year. 1t
is hard to tell what trees the female
cicada prefers for her egg laying,
though 1t seems clear that she shuns
4 ha 80 10
The cicada is a native of the forest.
and not being given to migration does
not as a rule get far from wild land.
The female seems to require the woody
fibre for her egg laying. and there are
no instances in which they have dam
| aged plants OF yearly growth, such as
corn and garden crops.
Her natural enemies are many. In
| addition to the birds and animals
| which seize upon the newly emerged
grub with avidity there are a number
of flies of the family Tachinida which
attack the adult. singing and laying
their eggs in the body of the cicada,
which has been found frequently eaten
out by the larve Of these flies. The
| eggs and the newly Matched larvR are
eagerly sought for by all kinds of
ants. even the diminutive red ant
shouldering an egg and scuttling off
with 1t at n great rate.
The big digger wasp is perhaps the
most spectacular enemy of the cicada
She will seize and carry in flight a
cicada as big again as herself and stow
the body with infinite pains in the
| complex burrows wherein she laws her
own eggs and where her coccoons are
spun about the corpse
| There is large variety of mite par
asites which feed upon and destroy the
! eggs, and the Larvae and pupe under
ground are also undoubtedly subject
to many enemies Of the dark.
Fighting the Pest in the Soil.
Incidentally, where there is stock
which 1t is worth while to protect the
| gardener or orchardman who knows
he is in cicada country might best fight
the pest in the ground. This may be
done by putting ina layer OF tobacco
dust at depth OF six inches, the fer
tilizing effect OF which will almost pay
for its slight cost, or by the employ
ment of the usual poisons against sub
terranean insects like the Phylloxera
and the apple root aphis. with the ex-
ception that the poison will have to be
introduced more deeply into the soil
Bisulphid of carbon. popular in France
against the grape root aphis. Will also
prove useful.
Wise nurserymen will not put out