160 INJURIES TO THE MARITIME PINE. 



by insects. This comes about, according to my views, from this : the 

 maritime pine being there in its true home, it there developes itself with 

 vigour, then lives in good health, and thus braves the innumerable 

 enemies which surround it. 



" But let the pines become sickly through the effect of a hail storm, 

 or of an insect having destroyed the leaves or the bud, and when, 

 in consequence of the sickliness affecting the roots and spreading 

 itself from one to another, this may invade the whole forest, if by 

 a circular ditch the contagion be not arrested, then those lignivorous 

 insects, divining the morbid condition of these sick trees, even while 

 no external indication betrays the existence of the evil, throw 

 themselves in mass upon their victims, and finish them off in a few 

 weeks. . . . 



" The insects most destructive to the maritime pine," writes M. 

 Perris, " are first the Bombyx pytiocampa, the caterpillar of which 

 devours the leaves of this tree, and may, if it multiply beyond measure, 

 occasion such physiological derangements that there may result a 

 disease, the consequence of which, through the ravages of the 

 xylophages, or woodeaters, shall be fatal ; second, the tomicus steno- 

 graphus, laricis and bidens, the melanophila tarda, and the pissodes 

 notatus, which destroy with great rapidity every so diseased tree. 



" There has beea recommended, as precautionary measures against 

 these last mentioned insects, the destruction of all dead woods, the 

 removal of stumps, the working up, or at least the removal of the 

 bark of all felled trees, the placing in different parts of the forests 

 attractive trees to allure the matured insects to lay their eggs there 

 and then destroying the larvae ; but how can it be effected that 

 these measures shall be carried out simultaneously, that is to say, by 

 everybody at the same time, throughout the whole extent of a 

 department, with many conterminous departments ? Moreover, 

 would the results be very appreciable, when there are in the higher 

 and almost inaccessible parts of trees so many dead or diseased 

 branches ? And, furthermore, in practice it is impossible to carry out 

 a really successful raid upon the insects ; and this is indisputable 

 with those who are acquainted with the management and exploitation 

 of our forests, with the inadequacy of our agricultural population, 

 and the indifference which, born of abundance and security, ignores 

 all proceedings which involve trouble. 



" With regard to the chenille procesdonaire, the local name given to 

 the larvae of the Bombyx, which passes the winter in numerous com- 

 munities in large nets of silk attached to the branches, it may be 



