UNITED STATES DEPARTB^JENT OF AGRICULTURE 



Contribution from the Bureau of Entomology 

 L. O. HOWARD, Chief 



Washington, D. C. 



June 9, 1919 



PROTECTION FROM THE LOCUST BORER. 



By F. C. Craighead, 

 Specialist in Fairest Entomology, Forest Insect Investigations. 



CONTENTS. 



Page. 



Introduction 



Historical 



Observations by tbe writer 



Investigations and experiments 



Natural growth in the vicinity 



of Falls Church, Va 



Plantations along the Pennsyl- 

 vania Railroad 



Condition of tree necessary for 

 borer attack 



Page. 

 How to recognize trees containing 



no borer defects 9 



Character of growth of uninfested 



stands . 9 



Conditions under which locust can 



be grown 10 



Control 11 



A method of handling severely 



damaged plantations 11 



Treatment of shade trees 11 



Literature cited 12 



INTRODUCTION. 



The increasing value of black or yellow locust* for many pur- 

 poses, and. especially the recent demand, for sound locust pins or tree- 

 nails in the construction of wooden ships, render its protection from 

 insect damage important. 



In addition to the natural growth of locust in forests, farmers' 

 woodlots, and abandoned fields, many attempts have been made to 

 grow it on a commercial scale in plantations. These attempts in most 

 cases have resulted in failure, owing to the serious damage to the 

 wood and frequently the destruction of the trees caused by the locust 

 borer.^ The fact, however, that in natural growth and occasional 

 plantations practically no injuries from the borer are found, while 

 in other cases the trees are ruined for commercial purposes or killed 

 outright, has led the writer to make a thorough investigation of the 

 problem to ascertain the cause of the occasional immunity from borer 

 injury. 



As a result of these investigations, it appears practically certain 

 that plantations of this tree can he protected swccessfuUy from 



^ RoMnia pseudacacia L. 

 106358°— 19 



^ Cyllene roMniae Forst. 



