310 WEST VIRGINIA EXPERIMENT STATION 



as is a row of dominoes when set on end and the first one is 

 made to fall against the second. 



Thus, all of the trees were prostrated in one direction, not 

 crossed and tangled as is the case when timber is blown down 

 by the wind alone. 



At the tjme of our visit all of the half million of prostrated 

 trees had been counted, the quantity of timber estimated, and 

 what was more surprising and interesting, every tree had been 

 stripped of its bark from root to top to prevent the attack of a 

 bark beetle, ( Pityogenes curvidens), and after a timber beetle 

 Xyloterus lineatus, the larter is believed to be identical- with 

 our spruce bark beetle, 'Xyloterus bivittatus. The bark, large 

 branches and even the small twigs had been cut into short 

 lengths and neatly pilled or tied in bundles to be sold for fuel. 

 The bark was removed by contract as soon as possible after the 

 timber fell, and the price paid being 30 phenigs (15 cents) per 

 cubic meter. One cubic meter equals about 1-4 of a cord. One 

 man could peel an average of about nine trees a day. 



While I felt very well repaid for visiting this region, in what 

 was learned by the action of snow and storms, and of systems of 

 forestry management under government control, I was disap- 

 pointed in not finding the conditions favorable for the Olerids. 

 In fact over this vast area of felled timber, there was no place 

 for bark beetles to breed, and consequently, nothing to attract 

 the Clerids. An earnest search was made among the standing 

 timber for trees that were dying from the attack of the little 

 spruce bark beetle, Pityogenes curvidens, which attacks the bark 

 on the upper portion of the tree in the same manner as does 

 our destructive pine bark beetle. 



A SPECIAL FAVOR. 



The Oberforester ordered a large tree that showed some indi- 

 cations of attack, to be felled especially for my inspection. In 

 consideration of the value of the trees and the fact that so 

 many trees were already down was an unexpected favor, and 

 one which was greatly appreciated. 



