CHAPTER XVII 



LETTERS TO MR. MARTIN, MR. GEORGE, MR. CONNOLD 

 AND MESSRS. COLEMAN AND SONS 



Elm-bark and Ash-bark beetles Roman remains Bladder plums The 



Silver Y-moth. 



A NUMBER of interesting and important fresh subjects are 

 here concisely treated in letters addressed to various British 

 inquirers. These are merely characteristic samples of a vast 

 amount of correspondence for which space could not be 

 found. 



To the Rev. John Martin, Charley Hall, Lotighborough. 



TORRINGTON HOUSE, ST. ALBANS, 



April 2, 1897, 



DEAR SIR, From your description of the elm-bark 

 attack, I should certainly think that the maggots were 

 those of the Elm-bark beetle, the destructor. If you do 

 not feel certain after this hint as to the nature of the 

 infestation, and will send me a little piece of bark, I will 

 with pleasure examine it and report to you. This in- 

 festation does not injure the timber of the tree. The 

 burrowings are mostly between the bark and the wood, 

 though necessarily there are a number of borings through 

 the bark, caused by the entrance and exit of the beetles. 

 It would be desirable to fell the trees, and peel off the 

 bark and burn it. The timber would be quite good (so 

 far as this matter is concerned) but if the bark is left, 

 the maggots will in due course develop to beetles and 

 fly off to continue mischief elsewhere. Further I would 

 suggest that you should direct your wood-superintendents to 

 examine whether other elms show shot-like holes in their 

 bark the sign of the presence of the infestation. From 

 your mention of the locality of the trees being rather damp, 



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