AMERICA MUST REFOREST 



311 



not always emerge from the wood which they infest, but 

 remain on the exterior of poles which they have damaged, 

 below ground, or in the hollow bases of trees, where 

 mating takes place and the eggs are laid. Poles and trees 

 which have been long infested often reveal dozens of 

 these dead beetles in hollow cavities. The beetles shun 

 the sunlight. 



The first most important consideration relative to pre- 

 venting injury to trees by the Parandra borer is to pre- 

 vent scarring of the trees. Such scars are produced by 

 various mechanical injuries to the bark, improperly cut- 

 ting off limbs, etc. If trees are not injured in such a 

 manner the beetle will not deposit eggs in them. If 

 there are exposed dead surfaces they should be covered 

 with an antiseptic and waterproof dressing such as a 

 single application of a mixture of creosote and coal 

 tar, about one-fourth or one-third creosote. A good 

 grade of lead paint can be substituted for the tar, if 

 desired, although it is not generally considered as satis- 

 factory; or grafting wax may serve satisfactorily for 

 small surfaces. 



Large scars or cavities in trees should be properly 

 cleaned out, disinfected and filled with cement according 

 to the approved practices of tree surgery; for more de- 



tailed information see "Practical Tree Surgery," by J. F. 

 Collins, Yearbook, United States Department of Agri- 

 culture for 1913. 



It is very important that in cities periodic surveys be 

 made of park and shade trees. Defective shade trees 

 should be treated or removed. If this is done much of 

 the damage done the trees during heavy storms can be 

 prevented and it may possibly result in the saving of 

 human lives. 



In planting city shade trees preference should be given 

 to the sturdy oaks (red and pin) and American elm ; the 

 softwooded maples and poplars can not so well with- 

 stand the high winds of sudden storms. This applies 

 to both trees infested and uninfested by borers. 



However, even disregarding the danger in defective 

 trees to man and his property, trees should be kept in a 

 vigorous and sound condition. The value of their shade 

 is great; they beautify the city. Parks have been well 

 termed the "lungs of the city;" their purer air, freshness, 

 shade and beauty contribute to man's physical, mental 

 and moral welfare, particularly in the case of children 

 and the sick. Preservation of trees in the city, then, 

 may indeed be termed a form of life insurance for city 

 dwellers. 



AMERICA MUST REFOREST 



I" N the course of a speech in the House of Representa- 

 * tives on March 3, Congressman John Davey said: 



"America must wake up and reforest or America will 

 rue the day of her spendthrift debauch. The early 

 settlers sent back word that they had discovered a land 

 of inexhaustible fertility. Americans of succeeding gen- 

 erations have proceeded on the theory that all the God- 

 given assets of the nation were inexhaustible. We have 

 destroyed with prodigal waste more and more of trie na- 

 tive woodlands the timber supply. We have done ex- 

 ceedingly little replanting. We are consuming the prin- 

 cipal of our inheritance just as fast as a reckless uncon- 

 cern will permit. 



"Where will the future lumber supply come from? 

 Where will we get the wood pulp for print paper? We 

 are sweeping away the God-given forests and building 

 great cities with breathless haste. We say we are cre- 

 ating wealth. We are merely transforming it on the one 

 hand and destroying it on the other. 



"Take a daylight ride across the Allegheneys and look 

 at the denuded mountains ! Contemplate the devastation 

 that man, selfish and thoughtless man, has wrought ! 

 And then, when you realize what all this prodigal de- 

 struction means to the future of America, let your soul 

 shudder at the thought of the future condemnation that 



awaits us from generations yet unborn. We who revel in 

 our false wealth and unpardonable profligacy must 

 answer to the God of nations and the children whom we 

 bring forth to struggle in an impoverished land. 



"Men and women of America, we cut down the great 

 forests that blessed this country. We allow the rem- 

 nants to be burned over and vegetation destroyed. The 

 rains pour down, and, instead of being held in check by 

 the loose and porous soil in the network of roots, it rushes 

 down over the hillsides and carries with it the fertile soil, 

 leaving in its wake barren hills and deep ravines. 



"Thus we have alternating floods and droughts. The 

 fertile soil is gone, the product of hundreds of years of 

 nature's providence. The little springs that come from 

 the water held in check and feed the lakes and streams 

 must gradually diminish and, I greatly fear, cease to 

 exist in large part. 



"This question of reforestation is of monumental im- 

 portance. America can not continue to exist as a virile, 

 forward-moving nation unless we protect what we have 

 and start to build up that which we have so ruthlessly de- 

 stroyed. We can not afford to be a nation of vandals 

 much longer. America must reforest or America must 

 drink the bitter dregs of national decline and impotency." 



