ARBORICULTURE 



381 



Periodical Recurrence of Destructive Insect Depredation. 



The year 1907 has been one in which 

 many forms of insects have increased 

 immoderately, some forms far beyond 

 what has ever before been observed. 



In the economy of nature, food is 

 provided in abundance for every living 

 creature. The higher forms of life are 

 provided with vegetable food from 

 millions of plants w^hile the low^er forms 

 of life supply the higher forms w^ith flesh. 



Insects are made to increase enorm- 

 ously and after a brief life become the 

 prey of other insects and birds. 



Plants are provided with seeds for 

 their reproduction far in excess of their 

 necessities and the surplus or excess of 

 seeds furnish food for numerous living 

 beings. 



All plant life is fitted as food for 

 some animal or insect species and sup- 

 plies their food. Thus, w^hen not de- 

 stroyed by some act of man, a balance 

 is maintained between the animal, bird, 

 plant and insect dominion, the exces- 

 sive increase of one soon being over- 

 come by the influence of the others. 



The w^holesale destruction of the 

 Forests, and resulting decrease of bird 

 life and also a reduction in numbers of 

 small animals, could only result in the 

 immoderate increase in insect species 

 throughout the entire land. 



Consequently the use of poisonous 

 mixtures to kill superfluous insects has 

 become a constant necessity with farm- 

 ers, fruit grow^ers, gardeners and those 

 w^ho have shade trees or ornamental 

 plants. 



There seems to be a periodical in- 

 crease of various insects w^hen great 

 damage is done. 



In 1876, the Rocky Mountain Locusts 

 or, as usually termed grasshoppers, 

 overran the states of Kansas, Nebraska, 



Iowa, part of Missouri, and Indian 

 Territory, entirely destroying all garden 

 crops, causing great distress among all 

 classes of people throughout this terri- 

 tory. The Editor of Arboriculture suf- 

 fered severely from this insect visita- 

 tion, losing all his property, and w^as 

 left w^orse than penniless. 



The ravages of the periodical cicades 

 are w^ell known throughout America 

 The Gypsy Moth and Brow^n tailed 

 moth have cost Massachusetts millions 

 of dollars w^hile insidious microscopic 

 insects threaten the destruction of the 

 pine hy sucking the juices from the 

 leaves or needles. 



The potato crop depends upon the 

 quantity of paris green w^hich is used to 

 destroy the beetles. 



During the present year the w^alnut 

 trees have been infested w^ith caterpil- 

 lars w^hich have defoliated many trees 

 both north and south. 



The sycamore, cottonw^ood, silver 

 maple and other trees have suffered 

 severely from various insect attacks. 



The Ball w^orm is still al work upon 

 the cotton. 



If w^e abandon the cotton plant on 

 account of the Ball worm, and quit 

 planting shade trees because caterpil- 

 lars have defoliated them at times and 

 clear aw^ay the New^ England Forests to 

 prevent gypsy moths from doing so, w^e 

 will be just as wise as the learned ento- 

 mologist of Indiana who advises against 

 Catalpa trees since a w^orm has ap- 

 peared which eats its foliage. 



We shall simply have to use arseni- 

 cal sprays and destroy the worms and 

 be very thankful that this tree has but 

 one insect enemy w^hile every other 

 tree has from a score to two hundred 

 distinct insect enemies. 



