166 INSECT RAVAGES. 



tLcro was some evidence of its attacking the cottonwood and eliu. In 1875 tbey ap- 

 jtoarcd first ou the 25tb of May, were most numcrons from the middle of .June to the 

 lirst of Angust, and a few were seen as lute as August :26. They began laying eggs by 

 the middle of June, under scales and in crevices of the bark, generally on the side most 

 exposed to the direct rays of the sun, and in wounded places, formed by bruises, trim- 

 ming, and sun-scalds. They infested only such trees as were debilitated by late traus- 

 l>lantiug, protracted droughts, extremes of heat or cold, sterility of soil, or neglect of 

 cultivation. The larva; could not survive a vigorous flow of sap nor continued shade. 

 The eggs were deposited in the middle of warm, suuuy days. As a remedy, the com- 

 mittee proposed the followiug: 



Plant early on ground well prepared and plowed the fall previous; remove a large 

 part of the last year's growth, aud mulch fur a space of two feet at least around ihe 

 tree ; wrap the trunks in hay, p.iper, or rags, aud cultivate well. This tends to secure 

 strong, vigorous growth, and is itself a strong safeguard. Search should be made for 

 the larviE, which leave but slight external traces, but the practiced eye soon learus 

 the indications, au<l a sharp knife and probe will iiud them,' In September they begin 

 to ))enetrate the wood, and get beyond reach till they emeige as perfect insects. 



liound-hcadcd horers, {Sapcrda). — These emerge from the tree early in Juno, are noc- 

 turnal in their h.ibits, and they lay their eggs in the crowns of the trees or among the 

 forks of the branches, or sometimes ou the trunks when shaded. They attack healthy 

 trees as well as those that are weakly, and their barrows are indicated by the dust 

 that they throw out. The knife and probe will find the larva;. The earth should be 

 removed from the crown to a depth of four or five iuches, and when the search is fin- 

 ished, it should he carefully drawn up again around the trunk.^ 



It has been recommended in fruit-trees, and would be equally practicable with others, 

 to remove some of the soil from around the tree ac the crown, and filling in and mound- 

 ing up a little with lime and ashes. This woud prevent the iemale beetle from liying 

 her eggs so low down as to be beyond access, and might prevent her from laying any. 



The "measnring-worm" did extensive damage in some parts of Ohio 

 in 1870-'71. A writer, in noticing this injury, says: 



It has been a very difficult thing to find a whole leaf on many of our forest trees 

 during the last two summers. Every oue was eaten and riddled by the worms. Not 

 a leaf could be found in midsummer on a beech, oak, or white elm, or ou many other 

 trees, which had anything more than a skeleton left. * * * For some cause, there 

 has "been a great increase in those species called measuring- worms within a few years. 

 The seasons, the mildness aud dryness of the winters, especially the two preceding tlje 

 present, have perhaps made conditions favorable for them to multiply. The etfect of 

 their ravages is to weaken the constitution of the trees, where they do not kill them 

 outright. The trees become disabled and a prey to other insect enemies.^ 



Locust-borers attack the trees near the ground, and a remedy has 

 been proposed, which consists in banking earth around the roots. It 

 is claimed that in plantations of locust the chief injury is done around 

 the margin of the plantation, which certainly appears to be the fact in 

 Eastern Massachusetts. But in some Western States the whole plan- 

 tation has fared alike, the ravages extending through every part. The 

 insect that does this damage to the locust trees is the Clytus robince 

 (Foster), of the beetle class. 



In portions cf the country where the locust trees have formerly been 

 killed oft", they are now rai.sed successfully, and there appears ground 

 for hope that this valuable timber may be again raised with profit in re- 

 gions where it was feared that it would be impossible.'* 



' Dr. Fitch mentions three principal remedies : First, coating the bark with offensive 

 substances ; second, destroying the beetles by hand-picking; third, destroying the larvte 

 by extracting from the burrow. A wash of soap, lime, &c., early in .June, would secure 

 the tree from molestation. In dark, damp days the insects may be shaken off to some 

 extent.— (Trawsrtc. N. Y. Ag. Soc. 1^54, p. 7:29.) 



*Dr. Fitch notices the great value of the woodpecker in destroying this and other 

 borers. Of alkaline washes, he prefers common soft-soap. Mr. Downing recommended 

 a mixture of soa}!, sulphur, and tobacco-water. The wounds made in searching for the 

 larvie soon heal. As the worm works downward, he i>roposed opening the upper end 

 of the burrow and pouring in scalding-hot water. — {lb., p. 723.) 



"Mr. John Hussey, of Loveland, O., in Ohio AfjricnlUiral Report 1S72, p. 2G. 



'' Mr. Arthur Bryant, in a paper read before the Illinois Horticultural Society, in 

 1872, urged renewed attention to the cultivation of the locust tree, uotwithstauaiug 



