The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1919-06-19
ANOTHER ARMY ARRIVES
Many Million Strong, it Descends on
Maryland Cities and Towns.

~
all over the State, that it takes this
opportunity to call the attention of
the tree-loving public to recogni-
ton of the damage which this army
do to the young growth on trees.
Have you noticed the White Oak
leaves curled up and brown-have
you observed Maple and Elm leaves
covered with sticky substance which
gives them an appearance of being
yarnished,-has your attention been
called to the swarms of ants marching
up and down the trunks of affected
trees? Follow up any or all of these
clues and you will find the twigs and
the under side of leaves literally
swarming with little insects, which
are known as plant lice or
aphids. This is the invading army,
and it should be met, not with flags
afying and showers of candy, but
with spray pumps and showers of
poison spray.
Though the entomologists tell US
that there are about 1926 species of
the plant lice so that there is a kind
for almost every variety of plant,
yet they all have the common charact-
eristic of being small and so soft
bodied and tender that you can hardly
pick one up without killing it. The
question then naturally arises how
can such a delicate organism become
such a menace to thrifty trees-and
the answer is-numbers-shee over
Whelming numbers. The aphids are
the charter members of the anti-race-
suicide club. By way of bit of ar
Ithmetic, let US follow one egg thr-
ough summer season, just one egg
that was tucked away in a sheltered
crevice in the bark over winter and
Matched out about the time the leaves
burst forth on neighbor Browns
vigorous young maple tree. This
young aphid, when about three DAYS
old, is mature enough to produce
young aphids alive at the rate of
about ten a day-and each of those
ten in turn, when from three to five
days old, is capable of producing
young aphids at the same rate as the
mother-so at the end of the first two
weeks we have the amazing total of
1886 26 aphids, at least that was the
number obtained lust before we broke
the adding machine. Now, if weather
conditions are favorable, this would
continue until fall, at which time the
original female would have become
the progenitor of nearly six billion
offspring. You will have to take the
scientists word for that, for as men
toned before the adding machine re-
fused to register much after the first
million and half Fortunately for
us there are generally cold, wet
spring days which the tender aphids T.
are unable to survive, but this wear
the recent succession of hot, muggv
days has enabled the aphids to get a
good start toward that six billion
mark.
The aphid does not eat the leaves
or tender shoots, he sticks a pump he
has for that purpose into the leaves
and sucks out the plant juices. De-
prived of their proper amount of
moisture, the leaves at once start
to curl and then wither, while the
young shoots become wilted; and
eventually die. The sap after passing
through the aphid's body is elected
IN those sticky drops known as "Honey
Dew" which gives the leaves such
a vanished appearance. The ants
are very fond of this honey, in fact
the aphids have been called the ants
cows, because the ants take this dew
from them so regularly.
Damage.
These aphids cannot kill trees in
one season, but they can appreciably
retard the groth and prevent the
maturity Of fruit, and they can make
a city's shade trees unsightly to look
at and unpleasant to walk beneath.
Delay is cOstly-to be informed
should be to act.
Remedies.
Since these insects are leaf suckers
and not leaf eaters, you must meet
them with spray attack, a chemical
solution powerful enough to kill the
aphids the minute it strikes them.
One that will not harm the foliage
but will be nevertheless effective is
nicotine sulphate, preparation which
can be obtained, with proper direc-
lions for strength Of mixture and
method of application, from any re-
liable seed house.
The private owner will of course
take care of his own trees in lawn
and orchard. In the case Of stress in
towns, the municipal authorities
should take the matter in hand. I'm
der the Roadside Tree Law, the State
II e