THE PINE INVESTIGATION. 363 



window, through Virginia and portions of Maryland and Penn- 

 sylvania. From the healthy appearance of the pine through 

 West Virginia and the other States mentioned, and from a 

 careful examination of such trees as were found in an extend- 

 ed journey by horse and buggy through the pine areas of the 

 southern counties of West Virginia, I was convinced that but 

 little, if any, pine timber was then dying, or had died from in- 

 sect attack during the spring and summer of 1894. In fact, all of 

 the evidence found plainly indicated that the trouble caused by 

 the destructive beetle was at an end. It also appeared that 

 none of the other pine infesting bark beetles alone, or all in 

 combined forces, were capable of continuing the trouble, which 

 it seemed, from the conditions existing in the spring of 1893, 

 they must continue to do. 



The destructive bark beetle ( Dendroctonus frontalis) had 

 apparently been completely exterminated in all sections of the 

 vast area invaded by it in 1890 to 1892, since not a single living 

 example had been seen by me or authentically reported within 

 the area north of the Oarolinas since the fall of 1892. 



The spiuce forest in Tucker and Randolph counties were vis- 

 ited by me on Oct. 22d-23d, 1894, and here, as in the pine 

 areas, the timber was in a healthy condition, scarcely a tree 

 could be found that was dying. The spruce bark beetle occur- 

 red in great numbers in logs and tops of felled trees, but were 

 not attacking the living trees, and so far as I can learn, had 

 not attacked any except those that had been injured. 



Upon my return to Morgantown 1 notified the owners of tim 

 ber of the encouraging conditions that I had found, and sent 

 the following notice to the principal timber journals of the 

 country and newspapers of the State. 



A SERIOUS TROUBLE OVER. 



No More Pine and Spruce Timber Dying in the Virginias from the Attack 



of Insects. 



"It may be of interest to your readers to learn that the serious trouble, 

 which in 1890-92 threatened the entire destruction of the valuable 

 pine and black spruce forests in West Virginia and adjoining States is 

 entirely over. 



I have just returned from a thorough survey of the affected territory, 



