934 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



both included in American Forestry's "List of Books A. The most useful and cheapest guard is made of 



on Forestry." For specific instructions, kinds of plants, wire netting, >4 inch mesh and No. 16 or No. IT gauge, 



planting, etc., write to any of the tree nurseries which It should be six feet high and should have a piece of 



advertise in American Forestry. hose on its upper end to prevent chafing. 



Q. What are the best trees to plant in front of my 

 house in the city of New York? 



A. de C, New York City. 



A. The Oriental sycamore (Platauus orientalis) is 

 undoubtedly the hardiest and generally best adapted to 

 the unfavorable conditions of the average city street. It 

 grows fairly rapidly, is ordinarily free from insects and 

 disease and forms a symmetrical compact crown. The 

 Norway maple (Acer platanoides) is the next best tree 

 to plant and the Red oak, European small leaf linden 

 and Gingko are still others that may be chosen. The 

 species is, of course, an important consideration, but no 

 tree will do well on the city street unless one provides 

 from two to four cubic yards of good loam and plants 

 the tree with great care. 



Q. We have at our summer home at Mackinac Island, 

 two beautiful maple trees, one hard maple and the other 

 a soft maple. The soft maple, perhaps .50 or (iO years 

 old, seems to be dying out. The leaves are turning yel- 

 low and some of the top branches are dead. We find 

 many small holes drilled through the bark, and into the 

 body of the tree, as clean as though a gimlet had been 

 used. We have removed some of the bark, and find a 

 coating of seemingly dead wood of a brownish color 

 about an eighth of an inch thick. Cleaning this off, we 

 find good, live wood underneath. We have removed the 

 bark in several places and find the same condition exists 

 in each case. Will you kindly advise what way we should 

 proceed in the way of treatment to save this tree? 



J. R. H., Detroit, Michigan. 



A. From your description, it seems that the living 

 tissue of the soft maple, situated immediately underneath 

 the outer bark, has already been injured by an insect 

 which has emerged some time ago. If this "coating of 

 dead wood" binds the whole circumference of the tree, 

 then it is doubtful whether anything can be done to save 

 the tree. If parts of the tissue underneath the bark are 

 still good and fresh, then you might resort to "heading 

 in," which means cutting in the whole top of the tree 

 heavily. A soft maple will stand the treatment. This 

 should be done in September. 



Q. What shall I do to combat the elm leaf beetle? 



J. E. M., Worcester, Mass. 



A. Spray with arsenate of lead during the latter part 

 of May and gather the pupal at the base of the tree dur- 

 ing the first ten days in August. 



Q. What is the best guard for street trees ? 



A. M. P., Reading, Pa. 



Q. Can you tell me what causes maple leaves to turn 

 reddish brown in midsummer, and if harmful to the 

 trees? M. L., Poiighkeepsie, N. Y. 



A. Maple leaves generally turn reddish brown in mid- 

 summer when the supply of water is cut off from the 

 roots. Cultivation and watering will generally revive 

 the trees. 



Q. Can you tell me what to do for a large hickory tree 

 which has good nuts, but few of which mature? 



T. B. S., Hackensack, N. J. 



A. The first thing suggesting itself in answer to your 

 query about your hickory tree is that the frugality of 

 mature nuts is due to an inherent quality of barrenness 

 in the tree itself, something that is very hard to over- 

 come but has in rare instances been corrected by topwork. 

 It is necessary that this shall be done by a specialist in 

 this line of work, and it is quite an expensive process. 

 Would suggest that you write to Dr. Deming, Secretary 

 of the Northern Nut Growers Association, Georgetown, 

 Connecticut, for fuller information. It is possible that 

 the condition might be helped by seeing that the ground 

 about the tree is fertile and in good condition and that it 

 has plenty of moisture, as the hickory demands more 

 moisture than many other species. 



Q. How shall I kill a grub in a maple tree? 



Mrs. M. M. L., Columbus, Ohio. 



A. Inject carbon bisulphide into the burrow and clog 

 the orifice immediately after injection with a bit of soap. 

 The soap will prevent the deadly gas generated by the 

 carbon bisulphide from coming out. The following day 

 remove the soap and paint the wound with coal tar. 



WORK For the month of September 



1. Prune the shade and ornamental trees in the Fall 

 before the leaves drop. 



2. Collect and destroy the eggs of the tussock moth 

 and cocoons and egg-masses of other insects. 



3. Remove borers in fruit trees and look out for 

 borers in other trees. 



4. Mark with white paint all dead and hopelessly 

 diseased trees which are to be cut down in winter. At 

 this time one can see them better than in the winter time. 



5. Visit the nurseries this month and select the plants 

 required for planting in the Spring of 1916. At this 

 time one can have a wider choice of material at abso- 

 lutely staple prices. The plants may be left standing 

 in the nursery for delivery in the spring. 



