DESTRUCTION OF SPRUCE FORESTS. 819 



not died from the attacks of caterpillars was also evident from the 

 appearance of the trees, particularly the terminal branches, which 

 showed no traces of having been eaten back by worms, such as is the 

 case on the coast of Maine ; moreover, no traces of the bud-worms were 

 to be found either on the young trees bordering open fields or road- 

 ways or in the forests. 



Mr. Beede, like others, attributed the death of these to drought, but 

 it was observed that the trees were dying in damp, protected places as 

 well as in situations where severe drought might injuriously aft'ect them, 

 and that the pines and maples, as well as other trees, were in a healthy 

 condition. The path up to the summit of the '' Giant of the Valley " 

 led through spruce woods, in which there were numerous dead and dying 

 spruces. None or scarcely any dead spruces or firs were observed which 

 did not have the bark filled with bark-borers, species of Dendroctonus 

 and Tomicus, or allied genera. 



Two large living spruces, the wood full of sap and the leaves fresh 

 and green, were examined, and in the bark were numerous beetles of 

 the genus Hylurgops, both in the worm or grub state and in the beetle 

 stage. These beetles, while in the young or worm condition, run their 

 galleries into the sap-wood and partially girdle the tree. There were 

 enough worms in these trees to ultimately kill them, and there was no 

 doubt but that these two trees were doomed to death by this cause. We 

 mention these cases especially, as it is doubted by some entomologists 

 in Europe whether living, healthy trees are attacked by borers. 



The destruction of spruces in northern Maine. — Passing into Aroostook 

 County by railroad by way of New Brunswick, we learned that the 

 spruces were still dying in portions of that province in great numbers. 

 For example, we were told that Mr. G-ibson, of Frederictou, in the 

 winter of 1882-'83 sent parties up the Nashwaka Eiver, a branch of the 

 St. John, with the expectation of cutting 40,000,000 feet of spruce 

 lumber ; but half of it was found to be dead. An examination of the 

 spruces in the vicinity of Presque Isle, Ashland, and Patten showed 

 that the bud-worm had not been at work in those parts of Aroostook, 

 nor along the road from Patten to Mattawamkeag. 



In townships 8 and 9 (range 7 or 8 ?), on the headwaters of the St. 

 Croix and Mattawamkeag, I was informed by a lumberman of unusual 

 powers of close observation that the spruce trees had only been affected 

 during the past five years. When he first went into the woods he 

 found the trees dying, and then advised the owners to fell them ; this 

 was the best possible advice, but it was not taken. He said the trees 

 would make good lumber for the second year after they showed signs 

 of dying, as it takes two years for them to become wholly dead. He 

 estimated that over the region he lumbered in, about one in eight trees 

 had died ; in some localities two-thirds had been killed. He was the 

 only lumberman we have met who unhesitatingly attributed the disease 

 to borers, though we have been told by heavy owners of lumbering 



