The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-02-24
17-YEAR LOCUST
DUE TO ARRIVE
DURING SPRING
Farmers Are Urged to Take
Possible Preventative Meas
ures Against Insects.


to be seen. perhaps In very large num-
bers. during the coming Spring and
early Summer over large regions Of
the United States where this brood
has not appeared before for seventeen
years, and over other regions where
another brood appeared thirteen years
ago. This Is the insect commonly
referred to as the "seventeen-year To-
Gust" name that 10 Incorrect In at
least two particulars. II Is not a 10.
Gust at all. that name being properly
applied only to members Of the grass
hopper family, and while 1t has .
seysnteeu-year period. It also has
thirteensyear period. II has been 10
long miscalled by the name OF locust,
however, that there Is no hope of d.
yesting 1t of that incorrect appella-
ton. and in the regions where there
is the longer period Of recurrence 1t
will continue to be known as the "sev-
enteen-year locust" and In the areas
OF the shorter recurrence period as the
"thirteen-year locust" The scientific
ally accepted name of periodical cica-
da, therefore, Is the only one that ex'
actly fits.
The life of an adult cicada 10 noisy
and short; they are indeed the noisest
ing the fact that he had heard them
when anchored in the Beagle q quarter
of mile from shore. The sound.mak-
ing organs, which the males possess
fully developed and the females only
partly, are q very complicated appa.
ratus. 1t has been said that the sounds
were produced by the insect rubbing
Its hind legs against It's wings, but
this Is hardly well demonstrated, as
he seldom produces sound when near
enough for observation.
Tho statement that this n the most
interesting insect in the world VIII
hardly be questioned. and II 10 tho
most interesting because It Ii the
most anomalous, or possibly because
1t has always appeared to be so mys'
FERROUS. The fact that It appears In
countless numbers one year, then ID
not seen again for halt tho average
lifetime Of human beings. and then
suddenly appears again In countless
numbers has kept the popular mind
mystifled and has woven many super
stitions about the cicada. When 1t 10
known that the insect spends the thir-
teen or seventeen years In slow de-
velopment beneath the ground and
energies at almost exactly tho same
spot where II entered thirteen or sew
enteen years before, then the mystery
disappears, but the interest. 1t any
thing, is intensified. One OF the
queerest things in nature Is that IN
spite Of such extremely slow growth
in their subterranean habitat all the
millions OF individuals attain maturity
and burst from, the, ground at almost
the same moment
Coming Inspires Fear
The eggs are deposited In the LIMBS
OF trees or shrubs. The young hatch
out in few weeks, drop to the ground
and begin their long subterranean ex.
istence. They are supposed to feed
on the sap in the roots OF trees. but
as they penetrate to as great depth
as twenty feet below the surface. little
is known Of that part OF their life
history and nothing Of the manner OF
transformation Of the larva to the
pupa. The pupa is incased in hard
shell, ana when about ready to emerge
from the ground constructs q chimney
of earth several inches In height. The
pupa crawls out Of the ground, fastens
itself to some firm object as a fence
or tree trunk, the skin splits down
the back and through this the adult
winged insect energies. The pupa
skin, when dried. still retains the
shape OF the pupa and may be found
attached to the support days after
the adult has flown away.
Every locust year" Is, in some sort
a year of fear and dread. 1t appears
to have been so with the savages and
has remained so with their civilized
successors, Notwithstanding the fact
that the cicada has been under inves'
tigation for well over 200 years, and
the appearances OF the swarms are
foretold by entomologlsts rs accurate
~ as eclipses of the moon are foretold
by astronomers. People have fancied
that they could detect In the cry OF
the cicada resemblance to the name
of the monarch Pharaoh, who perse
cuted the Jews, and that occult belief
or fear added to the somewhat dolo
rous sound has served to make the
cry OF the cicada generally unwel
come. Very long ago some supersti
ton attached to the dark bars OF the
filmy wings. These bars are always
in the shape of the letter w. but few
people remember that through period
of thirteen or seventeen years, ano
great significance Is attached to 1t al
each recurrence. Some prophet mas
arisen uiWdyS W dHHOuHCC tunS ShS
w on the locust's wings means war.
Since this outbreak Will come just al
the conclusion of the greatest war
and when even the imagination of the
rural prophet could hardly conjure W
the likelihood OF another one. some
new explanation will apparently have
70 be found this time. But no doub
the cicada will, as usual, be greeted
as harbinger of disaster, and a!
usual, there will be reports OF deaths
caused by stings Of the cicada, belle
that has persisted in spite of positive
proof that the cicada has no sting
that only by the EXTREMIST acciden
could IL inflict wound either will
bill or ovipositor. and that 1t coult
not, in any case, inject a poison.
Preventative Measures Urged
Upon every appearance OF larg'
broods of the cicada, fear is arouset
that trees will be destroyed. partic
ularly young trees of the fruiting ant