Forestry in Russia 575 



After ten to fifteen years, thinning may be necessary. The 

 cost of thinning per desiatina is as follows : 



1-2 man days (cutting trees) 2.0-4.0 rubles 



1-3 woman days (carrying away 



material) 1.3-4.0 " 



Total 3.3-8.0 " 



Costperacre 1.3-3.2 " ($0.95-2.33) 



Total Cost of the Plantation 



peracre 16.9-31.9 " ($12.34-23.28) 



Cost of Seed Plots. Oak seed plots, 5-7 square feet per plot, 

 100-200 plots per desiatina (40-81 per acre), 50 acorns per lot. 



Labor (per desiatina) 



3 . 7-5 . 3 man days 7 . 4-10. 6 rubles 



6.7-8.4 woman days 8.9-11.2 " 



Total 16.3-21.8 " 



Costperacre 6.6-8.8 " ($4.80-6.38) 



Forest Enemies. Melolontha vulgaris, a species of the order 

 Coleoptera, does an immense amount of damage to young plan- 

 tations. The larv'ae which do the damage by devouring the roots 

 of the young stock remain in the ground from three to four 

 years, depending on climatic conditions. The adult beetle emerges 

 in the spring feeding on the needles of the trees, and the female 

 deposits the eggs in the ground during that season, hence all ages 

 of larvae may be found in the soil at one time. Sometimes it has 

 been found impossible to re-stock an area after a fire until ten 

 years have elapsed because of the damage done by these larvae. 

 No method of effectually combating this pest has been found. 

 Pouring kerosene and benzine into the soil around the seedlings 

 has been tried without success. 



In 1908, Lyparis monacha, a white moth, did an immense 

 amount of damage to spruce in Scandinavia and Russia ; in 1909 

 in Russia and Prussia, and in 1910 in Saxony, Austria, Russia and 

 Prussia. The insect eats the needles, completely defoliating the 

 tree. It also attacks hardwoods, but these put on new leaves the 

 next spring; since the spruce cannot do this, it often dies. Pine 

 also suffers, but generally the defoliation is not complete, and 

 consequently this species usually recovers. 



In 1909, Russia alone spent 90,000 rubles in an effort to check 

 the ravages of this insect. The method practised was to put rings 



