NO. 30, Second series. 



United States Department of Agriculture, 



DIVISION OF ENTOMOLOGY. 



THE PERIODICAL CICADA IN 1898. 



The periodical cicada, popularly known as the "locust" or the 

 "seventeen-year locust," is expected to appear the present year at 

 many places of the country. The nature and natural history of this 

 insect and its appearance at long regular intervals — 17 years in the 

 more northern, and 13 years in the more southern regions — ai'e now 

 generally understood. It suffices to repeat here that the periodical 

 cicada should not be confounded with the destructive locust or grass- 

 hopper of the West, and further that it does not injure field crops 

 although appearing in enormous numbers in the timbered sections of 

 the country. The only damage done by it consists in puncturing the 

 young sprigs of orchard and forest trees. Old orchards remote from 

 forests or situated in the immediate vicinity of large cities are much 

 less molested in this way, while young orchards on newly cleared land 

 or situated in the vicinity of timber lands are liable to suffer. The 

 damage to forest trees is more apparent than real, and amounts only 

 to a general pruning of the younger twigs. 



Two different broods of the cicada will make their simultaneous 

 appearance this year: a 17-year brood at various places from Wisconsin 

 in the west to New York in the east, commencing to appear about the 

 last week of May ; and a 13-year brood on both sides of the Mississippi 

 River from near the mouth of the Missouri to southern Louisiana, com- 

 mencing to appear toward the end of April. 



The following is a list of the localities, arranged alphabetically 

 according to States and counties, from which the cicada has been 

 reported at former periods. 



THIRTEEN-YEAR BROOD VII, 1885-1898. 



Arkansas: Counties of Arkansas. Chicot, Columbia, Cross (and adja- 

 cent counties), Desha, Franklin, Izard, Jackson, Jefferson, Marion, 

 Mississippi, Phillips, Prairie, Pulaski, Saline (?), Searcy. 



(leorgia: Counties of Cobb (?), Coweta (?), Dekalb (?), (Jwinnett 

 (?), Meriwether (?), Newton (?). 



Kentucky: Counties of Barren (?), Graves, Trigg. 



