1 86 TREES AS GOOD CITIZENS 



The spread of insects has not infrequently been due to 

 their being carried on young trees from the nursery. For 

 this reason it is important that all trees should be free from 

 insects and diseases when they are sent from the nursery. 

 Reliable nurserymen, in cooperation with state inspectors, 

 endeavor to eliminate these troubles from nursery stock. 

 As an added precaution many kinds can, without injury, 

 be fumigated at the nursery before shipment. It should 

 not be necessary to call attention to the worthlessness of 

 panaceas by which all insect attacks may be prevented 

 by injecting a fluid into the tree, or by driving special 

 medicated nails into them. Fakers and rascals, passing as 

 tree doctors, continue to extract much good money from 

 a gullible public for worthless or even harmful ministra- 

 tions. Imposition of this character has been so widespread 

 as to cause more than one official warning to be issued 

 against encouraging such methods. 



Insect enemies of the trees are of three types, which 

 may be classified as leaf-chewers, sap-suckers and borers. 

 The leaf chewers eat the foliage, the sap-suckers suck the 

 plant juices from the leaves, stems, branches, trunk or 

 roots, while the borers injure a tree by their tunnels making 

 the openings opportunities for the entrance of moisture 

 and decay, but what is more serious, often partially or en- 

 tirely girdling the inner bark of the tree. In the three 

 classes there are countless subdivisions, some of which 

 require special discussion, but in general the methods of 

 combating are essentially the same throughout any one 

 class. 



The leaf-chewing insects may be destroyed by stom- 

 ach poisons, applied to the leaves through spraying. The 

 poison may be placed on the foliage before the insects have 

 begun active operations in large numbers and be there ready 

 for their first activities, contingent only on its not being 

 washed off by rains. 



