270 HEARINGS BEFORE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE. 
economize and make the best possible use of the limited funds which have been 
available. Some of them are working for from one-third to one-half less salary than 
they were getting elsewhere in order that they might pursue the lines of work in 
which they are deeply interested. 
There is urgent need for pushing the more important investigations now under way 
in different sections of the country, and the amount which we desire to expend for 
this purpose during the fiscal year 1903-4, is $20,000, which may be itemized as 
follows: 
Salaries for five investigators ...........--..---------2----2 22-2 e eee eee ee $6, 000 
Salaries for stenographer, artist, and clerks, together with janitor service, ete. 3,000 
Expenses for four field stations with an assistant at each in charge.-_-.--..-. 5, 000 
Expenses of specialist in charge of the work ---...--.--------------------- 2, 000 
Special investigations and experiments..........-..---------------------+-- 3, 000 
Additional equipment of office, laboratory, and field stations.......---..... 1, 000 
The Cuarrman. What is that you read about the hickory-bark 
beetle? 
Mr. Howarp. The hickory bark is one of the most useful barks in 
the country. This beetle has been destroying the trees, and by the 
employment of men in my branch of the service we have been able to 
stop it. 
‘The CHAIRMAN. By the destruction of the trees? 
Mr. Howarp. Notatall; by the destruction only of a certain portion 
of the infested trees, which is done at a particular time of the year. 
If the thing is done at any other time, it has no effect whatever in 
controlling the spread; but if it is done at a certain time, it succeeds 
in settling the old trouble. 
The Cuarrman. What is the operation? Mr. Hopkins came up to 
our country and looked at our hickory trees. In our neighborhood 
we lost thousands and thousands of them. 
Mr. Howarp. Doctor Hopkins presented a report on the subject’ 
The Cuarrman. J remember at the time that he said he did not know 
how to stop it. 
Mr. Howarp. Since that time he has been working on the bark 
beetle, and I will send you a copy of his report. He made a report, I 
think, to some relative of yours, a Mr. Wadsworth up there, I think— 
Mr. Austin Wadsworth. 
The Cuarrman. Yes; he said some insect was practically girdling 
the inner bark, but at that time he did not know how to stop it. 
Mr. Howarp. Now, people who are manufacturing handles and 
hickory implements of all sorts—plow handles and hoe handles, fre- 
quently have their establishments invaded by a little beetle which 
reduces the wood to powder. Some investigations have been carried 
on to show how to get rid of that. 
The Cuarrman. I saw a statement somewhere that if you bored into 
a tree and filled the hole with sulphur and plugged the hole, the sul- 
phur, through the circulation of this tree, would destroy the insects. 
Mr. Howarp. No; that is a quack remedy. 
The Cuarrman. There are two big hickories near my house. I 
saw the first symptoms, and I heard of that remedy and did that with 
them, and they have never been attacked since. 
Mr. Howarp. It must have been a mere coincidence, for it would 
have no effect whatever upon the insect. That is as old as the begin- 
ning of the last century. Back in 1808 that remedy was proposed. 
It is all the time cropping up, although repeatedly shown to be false. 
