﻿Kepokt 
  of 
  the 
  Botanist. 
  37 
  

  

  A 
  few 
  were 
  seen 
  at 
  work 
  on 
  the 
  affected 
  spruces 
  of 
  Specu- 
  

   lator 
  Mountain, 
  and 
  if 
  not 
  interrupted 
  they 
  will 
  probably 
  in 
  

   due 
  time 
  succeed 
  in 
  checking 
  the 
  ravages 
  here 
  also. 
  The 
  pro- 
  

   tection 
  of 
  these 
  birds 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  enumerated 
  among 
  the 
  means 
  to 
  

   be 
  employed 
  in 
  checking 
  the 
  malady 
  of 
  the 
  spruces. 
  They 
  

   are 
  the 
  friends 
  of 
  the 
  forest 
  and 
  the 
  allies 
  of 
  man. 
  How 
  insig- 
  

   nificant 
  the 
  insect 
  yet 
  how 
  capable 
  of 
  injury. 
  How 
  lightly 
  

   we 
  esteem 
  the 
  wood-pecker 
  yet 
  how 
  indispensable 
  are 
  his 
  ser- 
  

   vices. 
  

  

  A 
  remedy 
  employed 
  in 
  similar 
  cases 
  in 
  Europe 
  is 
  to 
  cut 
  

   down 
  the 
  affected 
  trees, 
  strip 
  off 
  their 
  bark 
  and 
  burn 
  it 
  with 
  

   its 
  destructive 
  tenants. 
  Though 
  it 
  is 
  somewhat 
  doubtful 
  if 
  

   the 
  owners 
  of 
  large 
  tracts 
  of 
  timber 
  land 
  can 
  be 
  induced 
  to 
  

   adopt 
  this 
  method 
  of 
  checking 
  the 
  destruction 
  of 
  their 
  spruces, 
  

   it 
  is 
  certainly 
  to 
  be 
  recommended. 
  The 
  loss 
  from 
  its 
  omission 
  

   would 
  soon 
  far 
  exceed 
  the 
  cost 
  of 
  its 
  employment, 
  but 
  care 
  

   should 
  be 
  taken 
  not 
  to 
  engage 
  in 
  this 
  work 
  in 
  a 
  dry 
  time 
  lest 
  

   the 
  destruction 
  from 
  forest 
  fires 
  should 
  be 
  greater 
  than 
  that 
  

   from 
  insects. 
  

  

  A 
  brief 
  extract 
  from 
  the 
  Entomology 
  of 
  Kirby 
  and 
  Spence 
  

   will 
  show 
  that 
  the 
  ravages 
  of 
  insects 
  upon 
  forest 
  trees 
  in 
  

   Europe 
  have 
  sometimes 
  been 
  serious, 
  and 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  none 
  too 
  

   soon 
  for 
  us 
  to 
  note 
  well 
  what 
  is 
  transpiring 
  in 
  our 
  own 
  forests. 
  

  

  u 
  The 
  bark-borer 
  of 
  the 
  oak 
  is 
  a 
  small 
  beetle 
  of 
  an 
  allied 
  

   genus, 
  Scolytus 
  pygmceus 
  which 
  with 
  us 
  does 
  no 
  great 
  harm, 
  

   but 
  so 
  abounded 
  of 
  late 
  years 
  in 
  the 
  Bois-de-Vincennes, 
  near 
  

   Paris, 
  that 
  40,000 
  trees 
  were 
  killed 
  by 
  it 
  ; 
  and 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  

   finest 
  elms 
  in 
  St. 
  James' 
  Park 
  and 
  Kensington 
  Gardens 
  as 
  

   well 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  promenades 
  of 
  various 
  cities 
  in 
  the 
  north 
  of 
  

   France, 
  have 
  fallen 
  victims 
  to 
  another 
  of 
  this 
  tribe, 
  Scolytus 
  

   destructor 
  ', 
  whose 
  trivial 
  name 
  well 
  characterizes 
  the 
  frequency 
  

   and 
  severity 
  of 
  its 
  ravages. 
  The 
  ravages 
  of 
  Tomicus 
  typo- 
  

   graphies 
  in 
  the 
  pine 
  forests 
  of 
  Gfermany, 
  have 
  long 
  been 
  

   known 
  under 
  the 
  name 
  Wurmtrokniss 
  (decay 
  caused 
  by 
  

   worms), 
  and 
  they 
  sometimes 
  attack 
  the 
  inner 
  bark 
  in 
  such 
  

   numbers, 
  80,000 
  being 
  sometimes 
  found 
  in 
  a 
  single 
  tree, 
  that 
  

   they 
  are 
  infinitely 
  more 
  noxious 
  than 
  those 
  insects 
  that 
  bore 
  

   into 
  the 
  wood. 
  About 
  the 
  year 
  1668 
  this 
  pest 
  was 
  particu- 
  

   larly 
  prevalent 
  and 
  caused 
  incalculable 
  mischief, 
  and 
  

   in 
  1783 
  it 
  is 
  estimated 
  that 
  a 
  million 
  and 
  a 
  half 
  of 
  trees 
  were 
  

   destroyed 
  by 
  it 
  in 
  the 
  Hartz 
  forests 
  alone. 
  At 
  this 
  period 
  

  

  