The Forest Caterpillar 127 



stripped for three years and the ends of the branches have died from the 

 loss of foliage." Mr. Lyman Hutchinson writes from Randolph : "My 

 sugar orchard was the first to be attacked by forest worms in this sec- 

 tion. Two years ago in June (1898) it looked as though fire had burned 

 the foliage over the whole wood lot, and again last year they took what 

 trees survived the first trimming. Now it is a fact that the first year's 

 trimming killed more than two hundred out of eight hundred trees. And 

 the result of the last trimming is that I have not two hundred trees in my 

 orchard that have life enough left to ever run sap for sugar. We have cut 

 from one to two hundred' of those maples. The most of them were en- 

 tirely dead, the rest had only a few lower limbs alive. The wood of these 

 maples turns very dark colored before the tree is entirely dead, which injures 

 it very much for lumber. Two years ago my orchard was about the only 

 one in this section on which the worms worked, but last season they took a 

 clean sweep. Every sugar place around is being cut down as fast as possi- 

 ble." It is very probable that some other destructive agency has been at 

 work in Mr. Hutchinson's maple grove, for a single defoliation would not 

 alone destroy the tree if they were in good condition at the opening 

 of the season. Hon. Y. I. Spear of Randolph also writes: "I know 

 of quite a large number of trees that have died as a result of being 

 defoliated." Mr. Spear states that the maple sugar crop of 1899 

 was not more than a fourth of an average crop, though he does not 

 think that the forest caterpillar is the cause of this shrinkage so 

 much as climatic conditions. There is no doubt that the sugar crop, 

 which is a very important one in this state, has been less than average 

 for several years. Nor is there any doubt that much of the short- 

 age has been due to other causes than the defoliation of the trees by the 

 caterpillars. Not only have the climatic conditions been unfavorable, but 

 borers, fall canker worms and other insects have contributed to the gen- 

 eral result. Nevertheless, when due allowance has been made for all other 

 untoward influences, we are compelled to believe that the forest caterpillar 

 has done irreparable harm to this state in the injury and destruction of 

 the maples. 



In order that the relation of defoliation to the life of tlie tree may be 

 clear to the reader, it may be well to state that much of the material making 

 up the structure of the plant is absorbed from the air by the leaves ; that 

 they are in part analagous to the lungs of an animal; and that their partial 

 destruction lessens the vitality of the plant, and, also, its opportunity of 

 food storage for tissue building. The processes of breaking down tissue 

 continue howe.ver,and if the rate of restoration is retarded, death may ensue. 



Just how severe the damage to the maple sugar interests of the state 

 will finally prove to be can not, of course, be certainly foretold. It is 

 hoped that the worst is over ; I believe that it is, though I do not pretend 



