950 Rural School Leaflet 



railroad ties, or any other kind of timber that is exposed to changes in the 

 weather and dampness in the soil. 



The locust tree has an enemy that often destroys it — the locust borer 

 {Cyllene rohinice), an insect that does its destructive work in the form of a 

 grub. It bores holes in the trunk and branches, keeps the tree from 

 growing as it should when in a healthy condition, and may destroy it. 

 In September the beetles — which are about three fourths of an inch long 

 and of a velvety black color with bright golden-yellow markings — gather 

 in large numbers on the bark of the locust trees and lay their small white 

 eggs in the crevices of the bark, in clusters of seven or eight. These eggs 

 soon hatch into little grubs, or worms, of a yellowish color, about three 

 fourths of an inch long. They bore into the bark and work industriously, 

 mining through the softer tissues of the wood until winter overtakes 

 them. They then rest until the warm weather of spring revives them, 

 when they begin work in April or May even more vigorously. They 

 extend their burrows into the wood of the tree, sending out chips and 

 sawdust, by which their work is often detected. The grubs become full- 

 grown about the middle of July, at which time they go through the meta- 

 morphosis common to beetles and emerge early in September as beetles. 



After a few seasons of this kind of work the tree is doomed. It ceases 

 to make normal growth; it is covered -^Hth great scars and wounds, and, 

 like the unprofitable fig tree of the Scriptiires, is fit only to be cut down 

 and burned. The sooner it is burned, the better, for if done while the 

 grubs are in it they are killed and prevented from extending the injiiry 

 to some other tree. 



Nothing is known to prevent the destruction of the black locust by the 

 locust borer. About the only thing that can be done is to v/atch the 

 plantation closely, and if it is found that one or two trees have been 

 attacked it is better to cut these down and bum them immediately, so as 

 to prevent the insects from attacking other trees in the plantation. This 

 seems like a somewhat rigorous measure, but after the insects have once 

 made inroads into a tree it is practically impossible to get them out without 

 destroying the tree. 



If the locust tree is cared for and protected against these borers, it 

 should soon become large enough for fence posts. 



Observations for the pupils 



1. Did you ever see a locust tree as large as an elm? as a maple? 

 Is the bark smooth and gray, like that of the beech tree, or is it rough, 

 and dark in color? 



2. Note whether the bark on the branches has prickles on it. Are they 

 stout and strong, or can they be easily broken off? Did you ever see a 



