The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-02-01
Predicted 1t Will Be Worst
Locust" Year, In C0un-
try's History :
VERMONT WILL BE,
ON IT'S ITINERARY
Department of Agriculture Warns Pub
lie Against Too Much Fright and
Suggests Methods for Fighting the
Insect-Appears In May.


The year 1919 is likely to be one OF the
worst locust years" on record. But en-
tomologists of the United States depart
ment OF agriculture see nothing alarming
in the prospect
The periodical cicada, the real name of
the insect commonly called locust" will
appear this year in the following states:
Alabama, District of Columbia, Delaware,
Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Ken
lucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Miehi-
gan, New Jersey, New York, North Caro-
lima, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina,
Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Vir-
ginia, and Wisconsin.
The injury done by the cicada consists
almost wholly in chiseling grooves in the
branches of trees for depositing eggs. This
injury always appears TO be greater than
it actually is. Popular alarm is usually
out of proportion to general damage
Young fruit trees are sometimes killed
by the cieada. The precautionary meas
ures are: Defer putting out young fruit
trees until next year; postpone budding
operations; do no pruning this winter or
spring.
When the insects begin coming out,
hand pick them from young fruit trees
or spray them with pyrethum powder,
kerosene emulsions or a solution of car
bolic acid or acetic acid
Later when the insects are ready to
begin laying, spray young fruit trees with
whitewash
Latitude does not appear To materially
affect the time of emergence from the
ground, the cicada in the Lake states
coming out within week ee~two of the
same time as in the Gulf and South At
lantlc states This date ranges from the
last week in May to the first in june, and
the shrleking of hosts may be looked for
throughout the whole territory indicated
at about that time. Late lin May or
early June the under sides of leaves on
practically all trees in dense brood areas
will be studded with the cast skins and
every wooded place will ba4 nesounding
with the shrill drums.
A month later the disposition Of eggs
in branches will have become general OF
forest trees, the oak and hickory appear
to be preferred, though the a&ada depos
its eggs in all kinds OF trees, with appar.
ent tendency, however. to avoid pines and
| cedars and such other species as exude
gummy substances. OF orchard trees, the
apple is the favorite. with peach and pear
trees second, and all others, even grape
vines come in for some share of atten.
| ton. In the cases of large trees, only
slight and temporary injury is done but
with young orchards and nursery stock
! the result may be fatal unless some pro
! tsa4
| The destruction of the cicada may be
accomplished with insecticides if applied
/ at the moment of emergenee from the
ground or shortly after it has shed its
| pupal skin and is still soft and compar
atively helpless This kind of work car
be made very successful in small areas but
conld not be applied on a large scale
Best results are obtained with pyrethum
i powder, kerosene emulsion, two pei
cent solution of carbolic acid, sprayed di
reetly on the insects.
/ Not much success has been attained
with washes or other applications to pre-
vent opposition Il-smelling substances
appear not TO repel the cicada Their,
are some indications that the insect dis
likes to sit on a white surface and there
fore whitewash is believed to possess som,
efficacy as a preventive of opposition
though the cicada will oviposit on white
washed trees if no more pleasing plae
can be found. A spray of Bordeaux mix
: ture is also believed to have some valu
] as a preventive.
Certain precautionary methods, howev
, fer, are of more Importance than the cura
] tive ones. In all regions where there
to be an appearance of the cioada, al
, pruning operations should be negeete
during the preceding winter and sprin
; in order to offer larger twig growt
and thus distribute the damage over
greater surface. The planting of youn
orchards should be deferred until tn
danger is past and the same advice az
plies to building operations in the sprin
nrior To the cicada'S annaarance