canker worms. 779 



History in Connecticut. 



Mr. Henry T. Blake of New Haven states* that "in 1839, by 

 vote of the Common Council, one hundred and fifty maples and 

 elms, principally maples, were set out on the public square. The 

 maples were preferred at that time on account of the liability 

 of elms to be ravaged by the measuring worm, or canker worm, 

 as it was generally called. This worm has appeared at intervals 

 since 1750, but the first serious experience of them within the 

 present century occurred in 1838. Other visitations followed at 

 frequent intervals down to 1850 and later, though in a modified 

 degree. Prior to 1846 for several years before the middle of 

 June the trees on the Green were stripped as bare as in the 

 depths of winter. The fence, which was of wood, painted white, 

 was so covered with worms as to appear entirely black. The 

 walks were literally carpeted with them, and the air was full of 

 their squirming forms descending from the barren branches. 

 Many schemes were proposed for their extermination, but none 

 were successful until the plan was adopted of surrounding the 

 trunk of every tree in the fall of the year with large tin troughs 

 filled with oil. This device was used quite generally, but the 

 troughs were expensive and the oil was blown by the wind over^ 

 the sidewalks and the clothes of passers-by. A smaller trough 

 was then used, made of sheet lead, and these were placed upon 

 the elms almost universally throughout the city, being kept in 

 order and supplied with oil by annual contract. These remedies, 

 continuously applied for several years, greatly diminished the 

 pest, and of late the last of the lead troughs have disappeared. A 

 band of cloth or paper coated with tar or printers' ink is now 

 regarded as a sufficient protection." 



According to Dr. Joseph Barratt, canker worms had disap- 

 peared in 1846,1 and we have the statement of Mr. Robinson 

 that they were again troublesome in i866.:f From what 

 we know of the periodical occurrence of this pest, it is quite 

 probable that an outbreak intervened, though we do not have 

 a record of it. In 1884, Mr. P. M. Augur, then pomologist of 



* Chronicles of New Haven Green, 1898, p. 30. 



t Transactions Conn. Agr. Society for 1854, p. 120. 



t Report Conn. Board of Agriculture for 1866, p. 81. 



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