44 ^^EW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



1901 Am, Gardening, Aug. 10, 22:558 (Poplar borer is possibly 



S. calcarata, use of carbon bisulfid or potassium cyanid is 

 advised) 



1902 Dury, Charles. Cin. Soc. Xat. Hist. Jour. 22:163 (Listed, injures 



poplar) 

 1902 Felt, E. P. Col. State Bd Hort. Rep't 1901, p. 168-69 (Injurious 



character) 

 1902 Joutel, L. H. Ent. News, 13:33 (Reference) 



Saperda tridentata Oliv. 

 Elm borer 



This species is of considerable economic importance, since it 

 is sometim.es very injurious to our American elms, where it may 

 work in association with two small curculios, ^I a g d a 1 i s 

 b a r b i t a Say. and ^I. a r m i c o 1 1 i s Say. We believe that 

 this species is responsible in a large measure for the dying con- 

 dition of some of our elms, though the curculios mentioned above 

 undoubtedly aid materially in the work of destruction. 



Early history. The earliest record of injury by this insect is 

 that given by Harris in his report, Insects Injurious to Vege- 

 tation. He states that trees on Boston Common ''' were found 

 to have suffered terribly from the ravages of this insect. Several 

 of them had already been cut down as past recovery; others 

 were in a dying state: and nearly all of them were more or less 

 aftected with disease or premature decay." Dr S. A. Forbes, 

 state entomologist of Illinois, in his 14th report, states that, 

 from the rapid progress which this pest has made among the 

 elms during the last two or three years, it seems extremely 

 likely that it will totally exterminate the trees unless it be 

 checked by general action. Dr J. A. Lintner, late state ento- 

 mologist of Xew York, in writing of this insect in 1893, charac- 

 terizes, it as being generally destructive throughout the State 

 and one worthy of close attention in order to check or to pre- 

 vent its causing serious injuries. Professor Garman, entomolo- 

 gist of the Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station, records 

 an instance of serious injury by this pest to trees about the 

 streets of Frankfort. Several trees were dead and a number of 

 other valuable elms dying, those affected being among the largest 



