QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 



37 



Q. What steps shall I take to prevent fire on my woodland? 

 M. J. K., Tarrytoivn, New York. 



A. Do not let any loose brush lie around. Put up posters 

 warning trespassers not to drop lighted cigars, matches, etc. 

 Place a tool box in some inconspicuous corner and have it filled 

 with fire-fighting tools, such as old brooms, axes, iron rakes, etc. 

 Have numerous paths through the woodland and keep these free 

 from litter. 



Q. W'lien shall I prune my apple trees ? 



F. K., Freehold, New Jersey. 



A. In March, though you may remove the dead branches at 

 almost any other time. 



Q. First. What is the scale of which I am sending specimens? 



Second. What is the best treatment for the tulip scale? 



Third. Do you think the Norway maple would be successful 

 in this locality? The Gingko Biloba (Japan Maiden Hair Tree) ? 



Fourth. What would you suggest for narrow paved street, 

 also for suburban planting? 



Fifth. Most of the elms here are in cramped paved streets, 

 seem to go to pieces if allowed to grow large and spread (.poor 

 root work presumably ) but pick up if heavily pruned. Do you 

 advocate pruning heavily on such elms ? 



Sixth. Could you give or refer me to the damage or cost 

 of control of the White Marked Tiissock Moth in the New 

 England States? 



D. L. B., Charleston, South Carolina. 



A. First. The specimen you have submitted is affected with 

 aspidiotus ancylus, and the remedy is to spray the affected parts 

 with kerosene emulsion, one part to twenty parts of water, in the 

 month of July, when the young insects emerge. 



Second. The best treatment for the tulip scale is to scrape 

 all the old insects from the branches in the fall and then spray 

 or wash the infested limbs with kerosene emulsion, one part to ten 

 parts of water. 



Third. The Norway maple ought to grow, though not as vig- 

 orously as further north, in the vicinity of New York City. The 

 gingko will do well. 



Fourth. For planting in a narrow street, use gingko and 

 Lombardy poplar, and for suburban planting use pin oaks, Euro- 

 pean and American linden, tulip tree, sweet gum, red maple, red 

 oak, elm — both American and European. 



Fifth. As to pruning if done at all, it should be done lightly 

 at frequent periods, instead of resorting to heavy pruning. It is 

 advisable to get at the roots and to encourage them with larger 

 spacing in the sidewalk, better soil, manure and cultivating and 

 watering. Where an elm must be pruned, the work is justified on 

 the ground that an elm as much as most other species will 

 stand pruning. 



Sixth. The tussock moth will completely defoliate lindens, 

 maples, etc., in early summer. Work of extermination consists in 

 collecting and burning egg masses in fall and winter and spraying 

 with arsenate of lead for caterpillars in June and early July. The 

 average cost is from 18 cents to 25 cents per tree. 



Q. I am writing for your advice about setting out several 

 acres in white pine. Where can these trees be had to best advan- 

 tage? At what intervals should they be planted with a view to 

 making a dense screen, and how large would you advise setting 

 them out so that they would grow to advantage? Would you sug- 

 gest any other variety for the purpose indicated? Rapidity of 

 growth and a screen the year around are the principal desiderata. 

 I should greatly appreciate the fullest information you can give 

 me in the premises, prices, number to the acre, etc. 



E. G. B., Dover, Delatvare. 



A. With regard to your contemplated planting, I would not 

 wish to recommend for your purpose the white pine, because of 

 the very serious danger which threatens in the shape of the blister 

 rust. Though the disease has not appeared as yet in Delaware, it 

 is in New Jersey and other states close by. Besides the loblolly 

 pine or Norway spruce would be just as good, if not better, for 

 your purpose, in view of the fact that you desire quick growers 

 to make a dense screen all the year round. Would suggest that 

 you plant these in three or four rows and about ten feet apart, 

 alternating the placing of the trees in each row so that in every 

 other row the trees will stand opposite each other. I would not 

 recommend your purchasing larger than four-year-old trans- 

 plants, as they would not only be very expensive, but these large 

 trees sometimes take several years to start growing properly, 

 during which time the younger ones would catch up with their 

 growth, and you would stand so much better chance of a vigorous 

 growth with this size. None of this applies if your land to be 

 planted is damp or swampy, for you would have no success with 

 tliese species. You can write with safety to any of the nursery- 

 men advertising in American Forestry and depend absolutely on 

 information or stock they may send you. 



Q. Let me know what you advise for spraying apple trees 

 this month. Our farm in New Canaan, Connecticut, has about 

 sixty old apple trees on it. We have sprayed for the past three 

 years, using Scalecide, lime-sulphur and arsenate of lead. When 

 we purchased the farm three years ago we were told that the 

 trees were affected by scale. We think most of that is cured. 

 The tent caterpillar was rather troublesome. The fruit was not 

 as large or perfect this summer and I should like to know what 

 you would advise. 



J. E. W., Netv York City. 



A. Replying to your inquiry, spray in the fall or early spring, 

 before the buds open, with lime sulphur wash for scale insects. 

 It is good practice to spray once a year with lime sulphur, no 

 matter whether the trees are badly infested with scale or not. 

 The arsenate of lead is only useful against leaf-eating insects 

 such as tent caterpillars. Apply the mixture in early summer, 

 when the leaves are out and in danger of being eaten. To 

 increase the production of fruit, prune the branches in the fall, 

 root-prune in early spring, and fertilize with well rotted manure. 

 If you follow these suggestions you will be well pleased with 

 your results. 



Q. I have recently transplanted an American Holly. The 

 work was well done, the tree being moved with a large unbroken 

 ball and few roots exposed. The tree is about 12 feet high and 

 a very good specimen. Some of the supposed experts here tell 

 me I should strip it of its leaves if I wish it to do well. Please let 

 me know what you think necessary to insure successful growth. 

 I have also moved some very large boxes — bush variety. 



J. S. F., Baltimore, Maryland. 



A. As to transplanting your holly I would not feel that it 

 is necessary to strip the tree of its leaves, though this is very 

 often done. Would advise, however, that you mulch both the 

 holly and the box heavily with leaf mold and some well rotted 

 manure, and also that you protect them, at least for the first 

 winter, with a covering of thin canvas or boughs of evergreei> 

 trees. I am sure that with the precautions taken in your trans- 

 planting operations, you will have success with them. 



DURING the fiscal year 1916, 705,872 acres of Na- 

 tional Forest timberlands were estimated and 

 mapped intensively, and 1,093,006 extensively. In 

 all, 20,815,798 acres have been mapped by intensive 

 methods and 47,291,660 by extensive methods. 



