40 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



valley show that It is by all means advisable to adopt adequate 

 measures at the outset rather than to lose thousands of magnificent 

 elms. The latter, we are sorry to state, appears to be necessary 

 before municipalities appreciate the destructive possibilities of this 

 shade tree pest. 



Experience has shown that there is nothing better for the control 

 of the elm leaf beetle than thorough spraying with an arsenical 

 poison, preferably arsenate of lead in the prepared paste form. 

 The essential to success is aii early application of this poison to the 

 under side of the leaves. It is necessary that the spraying be mod- 

 erately early and, as a rule, we have advised beginning the work as 

 soon as the leaves were about half out, owing to the fact that other- 

 wise it is almost impossible to get over most of the trees in a city 

 before the grubs have attained their growth and caused a great deal 

 of injury. The cost of this treatment is by no means excessive 

 when compared with the value of the trees. Furthermore, the city 

 of Albany expended in 1906 over half a million dollars for the main- 

 tenance and improvement of its streets, excluding sewers, while 

 less than one half of 15^ of this sum was devoted to the protection 

 of the trees. This is relatively much better than the amount ex- 

 pended by many other cities for the care of their trees. Shade 

 trees are such conspicuous features and add so greatly to the 

 beauty of the streets that it would seem as though a considerably 

 larger proportion of the amount devoted to the maintenance and 

 improvement of the streets, might well be used for the protection 

 of the trees. 



Sugar m.aple borer (Plagionotus speciosus Say) . 

 This insect continues to maintain its reputation as a deadly enemy 

 of the sugar maple, deservedly one of the most popular of our 

 shade trees. Signs of its operations are visible in many of the 

 cities and villages throughout the State, and occasionally one goes 

 into a neighborhood where the insect has become rather abundant 

 and promises to cause great injuries in the near future. Such is 

 the case at Williamsville, Erie co., a small village on the edge 

 of Buffalo. There is a row of about 50 trees a little way out and 

 on the main street, which are very badly infested by this borer. 

 These trees are 25 or 30 years of age, still shapely and in fairly 

 good condition, despite the fact that several arc beginning to show 

 the operations of this insect. Eight years ago this row of trees 

 appeared to be practically free from the pest, and it would not be 

 surprising if, in the course of 5 to 10 years, many of these young 

 maples were practically ruined by this attack. 



