of 



and incessantly clamoring germs. Tear the skin 

 on one's body or the bark upon a tree, and eter- 

 nally vigilant microbes at once sow the wound 

 with the seeds of destruction or decay. A single 

 thoughtless stroke of an axe in the bark of a tree 

 may admit germs that will produce a kind of 

 blood-poisoning and cause slow death. 



The false-tinder fungus apparently can spread 

 and do damage only as it is admitted into the 

 tree through insect-holes or the wounds of acci- 

 dents. Yet its annual damage is almost beyond 

 computation. This rot is widely distributed and 

 affects a large number of species. As with in- 

 sects, its outbreaks often occur and extend over 

 wide areas upon which its depredations are 

 almost complete. As almost all trees are sus- 

 ceptible to this punk-producer, it will not be 

 easy to suppress. 



The study of forest insects has not progressed 

 far enough to enable one to make more than a 

 rough approximation of the number of the im- 

 portant species that attack our common trees. 

 However, more than five hundred species are 

 known to afflict the sturdy oak, while four hun- 



184 



