192 
and that there was not a mere cessation of attack, was proved by the 
positive statements of the farmers, made in answer to questions, that 
they found the dead larvae near the plants. 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 last something that will protect planted crops from 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 portion, and 
perhaps that is about as good a description as it is possible to givr, 
and 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 prominence 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 papers they were credited with destroying the grass crop. 
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 much lowland and marshy ground that 
it afforded no opportunities for the insects; but along the Hudson, as 
soon as the ground became sufficiently high, the insects made their 
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 River. 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 covered 
by the insects, and they extended up the Raritan River for some dis- 
