206 Forest Pests. 



pests — I suspect of the female persuasion, the place is beautiful 

 with primroses just now — had crossed the netting at the top of the 

 clump and gone out at the bottom, breaking it down, so that a 

 rabbit had been able to follow their steps and dine off a consider- 

 able number of one variety of trees. About a year ago, while 

 walking through a newly-planted area of Pseudo-tsuga Douglasii, 

 I found a dozen or two plants pulled up and left lying. I fancy 

 this was the work of a youthful male, who while he walked down 

 the hill thought it clever or amusing to pull up the plants as he 

 went. I trust our beneficent legislators, who propose going in for 

 State afforestation, and at the same time talk glibly of access to 

 mountains, will take means to prevent these pests having access 

 to the State forests of the future. Of course, what belongs to 

 the struggling individual proprietor is only of value when the tax 

 collector is starting on his rounds. I regret I have not been 

 able to catch a specimen of this pest for your inspection, either 

 to impale on card-board or to preserve in spirit. 



Mr Robert Service, in some remarks on the paper, said he 

 would with all deference question Mr Maxwell's statement that 

 the vole which injured the trees was the ordinary short-tailed field 

 vole. He had not in his experience found this particular rodent 

 doing any harm to trees, although it was notorious for damage 

 which it did to green crops. He should say it was the red bank 

 vole, a far less well-known species, but quite as destructive in its 

 own way. Of recent years it had been increasing in numbers, and 

 he had no doubt it was it which had done the damage to the tree 

 underground. The teeth-marks, to his mind, shewed that it was 

 so. Pests affecting forest culture were decidedly on the increase : 

 to such an extent that it was very questionable if any individual 

 or combination of individuals would ever be able to master them. 

 It might be that some meteorological conditions would intervene 

 to check them. But meantime he fancied there would be nothing 

 for it but legislation. If there was to be State afforestation, there 

 must be very stringent measures of protection of a very wide 

 ranging nature and co-ordinated with each other. 



Rev. J. L. Dinwiddie, Ruthwell, asked if Mr Maxwell had 

 ascertained whether any dressing applied to the young trees would 

 protect them from rabbits or any of the other pests to which he 

 had referred. 



