NEWS AND NOTES. 



Lost River in New Hampshire 



The Society for the Protection of New 

 Hampshire Forests, having aided in the 

 preservation of the top of Sunapee Moun- 

 tain in that state, of which it is to receive 

 the title from the public-spirited purchas- 

 ers, is now endeavoring to preserve an- 

 other of the scenic treasures of New Hamp- 

 shire, the gorge of Lost River, lying in 

 the wildly picturesque country between 

 Mounts Moosilauke and Kinsman. 



Lost River, rising on the slopes of Mount 

 Moosilauke. runs for a mile and a half over 

 steep cascades, then plunges underground 

 for nearly a mile before emerging to the 

 surface again. In its subterranean course 

 are many large caverns and cascades. Kins- 

 man Notch, through which the river runs, 

 is notable for its steep wooded cliffs, the 

 beaver meadows at the summit of the 

 notch, and its numerous streams. 



The society has voted to apply to this 

 purpose a recent legacy of $5,000 and is 

 trving to raise by subscription the re- 

 maining $2,000 for the purchase and $1,000 

 additional to be used to clear up the slash 

 and waste timber left by lumbermen in pre- 

 vious years. 



The Publishers' Paper Company, which 

 owns the property, has agreed to give the 

 society title to 148 acres, including the 

 whole underground route of the Lost River, 

 provided the society will pay $7,000 for the 

 standing timber. 



The Southern Pine Beetle 



Professor A. D. Hopkins, of the Bureau 

 of Entomology, has made a report upon the 

 dying of pine timber in parts of Georgia, 

 South Carolina, and North Carolina. He 

 finds this due to the work of the southern 

 pine beetle, which was found to be thriv- 

 ing in the bark of all the infested trees, 

 the indications being that the beetle exists 

 in enormous numbers. The report con- 

 tinues: 



It has been known for more than forty 

 years that this particular beetle has ex- 

 isted in the southern states, and our exten- 

 sive studies of it within recent years indi- 

 cate that it has occupied the region since 

 time immemorial. It api)ears, however, 

 that only at long intervals does it increase 

 to such numbers as to cause widespread 



depredations, such as, for example, the 

 great invasion of 1890-1893 in the Virginias. 

 Under the normal conditions of its life and 

 habits, a few scattering trees are killed 

 by it each year in nearly every county 

 throughout the southern states where the 

 pine is common. If, however, there are 

 from any cause favorable conditions for 

 the multiplication of the insect, it is thus 

 able to kill groups of trees, and if these 

 groups increase in number and size the 

 following year, they constitute the danger 

 signal of an outbreak with resulting wide- 

 spread depredations. These are just the 

 conditions found in the localities observed, 

 and from the reports received from differ- 

 ent sections of the South ranging from 

 Texas to Virginia, it is evident that they 

 prevail throughout the greater part of at 

 least the short-leaf pine belt. Therefore, 

 there Is every reason to believe that unless 

 prompt and properly directed action is 

 taken by owners of pine timber throughout 

 the region during the coming winter, a 

 large percentage of the best old as well as 

 middle aged and young pine will be killed 

 within the next two or three years. 



Published information, as well as special 

 instructions on practical methods of con- 

 trol, have been sent to all of our corre- 

 spondents who have requested advice on 

 the subject during the past year. Doubt- 

 less in some cases the advice as to proper 

 methods of combating the pest has been 

 followed, but in every case examined where 

 some attempt had been made by the owner 

 towards control, little or nothing had been 

 accomplished from the fact that some of 

 the essential details had been neglected. 

 In most cases the dead trees had been cut 

 after the beetles had left them and in other 

 cases the bark from the dying infested 

 trees had not been destroyed in time to pre- 

 vent the escape of the broods of beetles. 

 1'herefore, it is evident that in order to 

 bring about the proper general understand- 

 ing and application of the most economical 

 and effective methods of control and pro- 

 tection, it is necessary for the experts of 

 this bureau to conduct some practical 

 demonstrations in different sections of the 

 South. With this object in view, the bu- 

 reau will establish a forest insect field sta- 

 tion at some central point in the South, 

 where instructions can be given and where 



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