The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1919-02-27

them. ct Lne TACT ieuldluS ludL
there have been outbreaks of cicada q
states in most every year since this
country was discovered and that no
very grave damage has yet been
done Very young fruit trees some
times are killed or seriously injur-
ed, but little or no permanent in
jury is done to forest trees or ma
ture trees of any kind and measures
will save the young and tender stock
Inasmuch as the coming 1919
brood of locusts may be one OF the
largest on record, it is particularly
important to allay excessive fear of
destruction to timber as we'll as to
have people. on guard, so that the
may be applied. The belief that the
1919 brood will be exceptionally
large is based on the fact that the
seventeen-year brood coming out
this year is brood 10, perhaps the
largest of the seventeen-year broOds
and that brood IS of the thirteen
year family comes out at the same
est locust year in history. In that
year brood 10, the largest of the
thirteen-year broods,. appeared in
conjunction with brood 10, the two
combining to make an unprecedent
ed infestation. The coincidence of
the largest seventeen-year brood
with a smaller thirteen-year brood
this year will not bring about condi-
tons approaching those of 1868.
Fear aroused by the presence of
this insect in great numbers is out
of proportion to the real damage
likely to be done. People in infect
ed sections should not become I'M
duly alarmed but should apply such
methods of control as are possible.
In young orchards and nurseries, the
safest method is the hand collection
gence or as soon afterWard as pos
sible. Every cicada tries to climb
some plant or tree Immediately after
coming out of the ground and great
numbers of them can be shaken off
and collected in bags or umbrellas.
This practice may be continued for
an indefinite time, after the emer-
very early in the morning or late in
the evening when the insects are
somewhat torpid and sluggish. If
undertaken at the first appearance
and repeated each day, control will
be facilitated by the fact that most
of the insects will be on the young
trees or short branches, or on the
lower branches Of large trees and
Insecticides Are Effective.
The destruction of the cicada
may be accomplished with insecti-
cides if applied at the moment of
emergence from the ground or short
ly after it has shed its pur'tl skin
and is still soft and comparatively
helpless. This kind of work can be
made very successful in small areas
h,1f q
scale. Best results are obtained with
pyrethrum powder, kerosene emul-
sions, 2 per cent solution of car
bolic acid, or Is per cent solution
of acetic acid, sprayed directly on
the insects.
Not much success has been attain
ed with washes or other applications
substances appear not to repel the
cicada. There are some indications
that the insect dislikes to sit on
white surface and therefore white
wash is believed to possess some eff
feciency as a preventive of ovipOsi-
ton, though the cicada will oviposit
on whitewashed trees if no more
spray Of Bordeaux mixture is also
believed to have some value as a
preventive.
Certain precautionary methods,
however, are of more Importance
than the curative ones. In all reg
ions where there is to be an appear
ance of the cicada, all pruning opera
tons should be neglected during the
preceding winter and spring in order
to offer a larger twig growth and
thus to distribute the damage over
a greater surface. The planting of
your orchards should be deferred
dntil the danger is past and the same
advice applies to budding operations
in the spring prior to the cicada's