192 



and that there was uot a mere cessation of attack, was proved by the 

 positive statements of the farmers, made in answer to questions, that 

 they found the dead hirvte near the phints. For some reason farmers 

 seem more inclined to adopt this measure rather than the poisoned 

 vegetation trap, and as it has proved successful in so many hands, per- 

 haps we have at hist something that will protect planted croi)sfron) the 

 cutworms. 



Theappearanceofthe periodical Cicada,or the ''seventeen-year locust," 

 as it is usually termed, was, of course, in one respect the most striking 

 occurrence of the year. This is one of the broods that is supposed to 

 appear all over New Jersey, but principally in the northern i)ortion, and 

 perhaps that is about as good a description as it is possible to give, 

 aiul yet there are more places where the insect does not appear than 

 where it does make its appearance. The fact that the insect was 

 abundant in those counties about Jersey City, containing the most 

 dense population, gave the insects an undue jirominence in the news- 

 papers, and there were numerous references and notices concerning 

 them, the great majority more or less erroneous. It was curious what 

 a lot of injury was attributed to the locusts. They were said to have 

 destroyed all the rye and wheat fields in certain localities, and in som 

 New York i)apers they were credited with destroying the grass cro[». 

 It is really surprising what an enormous amount of misinformation 

 seems to be generally distributed concerning this insect, but it is hardly 

 necessary for me, in this Association, to call attention to facts like this. 

 The interesting point to me was the spotty distribution of the insects. 

 There were very few large tracts infested, and, with perhaps two excep 

 tions, no entire county was covered in all its portions by the insects. 

 Union and Essex counties alone seem to have been covered in all parts. 

 Hudson County consists of so mucli lowland and marshy ground that 

 it aflbrded no opportunities for the insects; but along the Hudson, as 

 soon as the ground became sufficiently high, the insects made theiv 

 appearance, and they covered a considerable proportion of Bergen 

 County. Passaic County was invaded in its southeastern portion about 

 Paterson, but I had no reports from the northern and western parts 

 concerning the presence of the insect. A small portion of Sussex 

 County was invaded at points remote from the Delaware River, and 

 possibly it may be in place to say here that nowhere in New Jersey 

 does this brood of Cicadas approach within 15 or 20 miles of the Dela 

 ware liiver. Warren County had one little spot in the extreme eastern 

 corner from which the insects were recorded, and in the vicinity of 

 Boonton they were reported for Morris County also. At the most 

 northern point of Somerset County, where it joins Hunterdon, the 

 insects made their appearance; but, except perhaps just across the 

 border at this point, no portion of Hunterdon seems to have been 

 troubled. Middlesex in its northern portion was pretty well covei'ed 

 by the insects, and they extended up the Raritan River for some dis- 



