Cicadas Bed Down
In the Earth For
Another 17 Years
Some May Go Down Into
Ground As Many As
Twenty Feet
Washington—Or. lawns, in
woodlands, along highway edges
from Vermont to Georgia and
west to the Mississippi, billions of
tiny wormlike creatures late this
summer tumbled to the ground
from the tips of twigs where they
w ere 'fratchefl
Each gray larva, no more than
WAMED
PINE LOGS
—and—
Timberlamis
CRITGHEK
LUMBER GO.
I ons-twentieth of an inch long has
buried itself in the soil. Some are
only a foot below the surface.
Otr.ers may be still digging and
Will g(i down to ten or even twen
ty feet.
When each feels that it is deep
enough to be safe from the frost,
it will hollow out a little cave—
perhaps a quarter of an inch
across—next to the root of a tree.
The cave will be its home, says
the National Geographic Society,
and the root will be its storehouse,
for the juice of tree roots is the
pap of baby cicadas or “17-year
locusts.”
The larva will grow; it may
even move to another root, and
;* will shed its skin several times
before next it sees the light of
day—on an off May morning in
1970!
Thus, with the new generation
of Brood Ten—the Great Brood—
of periodic cicadas put to bed, one
of Nature’s longest and strangest
dramas of the insect world rings
down the curtain. There will be
revivals, as there have been from
time immemorial, but there are
never more than six revivals in
a cenutry.
The 1953 appearance of the lo
custs, hatched from eggs laid in
1936, came off as scheduled. Last
May, stirred by some mysterious
i__r....— i i ■ .... z
'signal, as many as 40,000 cicada
nymphs emerged from the ground
in one night under a single large
oak tree. Stealthily, they moved
to the nearest bush or tree and
started to climb. Some reached
the high limbs but many more
got only part way up when the
need for one last shedding of the
skin seized them.
Clinging to the bark with their
lobsterlike claws, the immature
cicadas pulsed rhythmically. The
old skins soon split down the back
and out crawled the full grown
17-year locusts. By morning, the
creamy-white creatures had turn
ed dark. Their eyes were red as
fire. Their micalike wings-—with
the characteristic black W at the
base which the superstitious sav
foretells war—were dry and ready
for flight.
The abdominal drums sported
by the males were ready to begin
their tireless sounding of four
quite distinct notes—the pro
longed burr, the "Pha-a-aroah"
which reminded the Pilgrim Fath
ers of the locust plagues of Egypt,
the low continuous purr, and the
loud squawk of surprise or fright.
Anri presently, after a brief sea
son of clumsy flying and frolic,
the silent females were ready to
lay their 400 to 600 eggs. With
single-minded purpose, they
sought out the tender limb tips
of their favorite trees—oak, hic
i kory, apple and peach. With their
sharp, two-edged ovipositors they
made a series of gashes in the
twigs and laid ten to twenty white
eggs in each small gash. Exhaust
ed from their labors, they fell to
the ground or water, food for
birds and squirrels or fish.
Now, at summer’s end, the eggs
laid last May and June have
hatched. Earth itself will shelter
and nourish the young while a
generation of men moves and
passes above them. And when
Spring comes in 1970, there will
be for the Great Brood of periodic
cicadas a not inglorious resurrec
tion.
- - ♦-.
Gram sorghum is gaining popu
larity in North Carolina as a live
stock feed.
NOTICE OF SALE
Under and by virtue of the
power of sale contained in that
certain Deed of Trust bearing
date (if March 3, 1947 from Grace
Maynard and John B. Roberson,
lessees T/a Roberson Slaughter
House, to the undersigned Trus
tee, which said Deed of Trust is
recorded in Book H-4, page 624 of
the Public Registry of Martin
County, North Carolina, default
having been made in the payment
of the indebtedness for which said
Deed of Trust was given as secur
ity, and the terms of Ihe same not
having been complied with, and
at the request of the holders o{
the note secured thereby, the un
dersigned trustee will on Monday,
October 26, 1953 at 12 o’clock noon
in front of the Court Iiouse Door
in Williamston, N. C. oner for sale
to the highest bidder for cash, the
following described property:
Beginning at a point on the Mc
Gaskey Road where the Southern
edge of First Street intersects the
McGaskey Road, said point being
51CT.9 feet from the intersection of1
the McGaskey Road with U. S.
Highway No. 64; thence along the
McGaskey Road in a northerly di
rection to the property line of A.
C L. RR ; thence along the line
of the A. C. L. RR. Co. to the line
of the property of L. P. Martin;
thence along the line of the prop-,
erty of L. P. Martin to a point
where the southern edge of First
Street intersects the property of
L. P. Martin, said,point being 510
feet from U. S. Highway No. 64;
thence along the southern edge of
First Street to the point of begin
ning and being the same property
purchased from J. S. and H. S.
Whitley bv deed dated February
28, 1947. Excepted from this De
scription five lots on McGaskey
Road which have been sold.
It being understood that the
property designated ds First
Street to remain open and accessi
ble as a street.
The highest bidder will be re
quired to make a deposit of 10%
of the amount of the bid.
This 16th day of September,
1953.
Clarence W. Griffin, Trustee,
se 22-29 oc 6-13 '
NEW PREMIUM 6AS0UHE
NOW AT SINCUUR DEALERS
Today, there’s a great new name on the highways that
can mean amazing new power for your car! It’s Sinclair
power-x, the super premium gasoline developed in Sinclair
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ern high-compression cars. Sinclair power-x gives 2 to
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ITJMi
OUlV]
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WITH THi
Ilf1
HHH
N. C. GREEN, Marketer
Williamston, North Carolina
I would like io express
my appreciation io all my
old customers lor their pa
tronage in the past—And
extend a hearty welcome
to yon and new customers
to visit me often in the fu
ture.
' I have an experienced group of men
working with me and together we will see that
you are completely satisfied when you bring
your car in for service. Come to see us.
BRUCE HOLLOMON
— AT —
Central Service
Station
Main Street TEXACO Dealer
Williamson
(foagcr...
... and still be a "good cook”?
Well, you can't look very glamorous, nor feel very
glamorous. If you '.pend hours every day working over a hot '•love.
On the other hand, few things are more glamorous to the
Man-ol-lhc-House titan a hot, hearty, delicious dinner
when he tets home.
Thanks to modarn electrical living, you
CAN find lime to keep young, pretty
and interesting . , . and keep your family
happy at mealtime, too. You don't have to
spend hours in the kitchen just to be sure
the roast will be perlect. the vegetables
delicious, the dessert ready on lime.
For MODERN ELECTRIC RANGES have
automatic time and temperature controls
ns I measure out clean, sa/c electric heat
just as accurately as you measure ou‘
tiour in a cup . , . and even mori
dependably than if you were to sta;
in the kitchen, peeking in the oven
watching, testing, waiting!
So go ahead, live a little Get a
modern automatic electric range in
your kitchen and more glamour
X
1
&6te&ea£/fo&uuz I
UUfiUUBELEnRU