62 EIGHTH REPORT OF THE 



at the base of a bud, and tunnel along the pith, eating away the wood here and 

 there almost to the bark. As the caterpillars increase in size they attack the 

 larger limbs and even the trunk of the tree. 



The curiously shaped bags, or larval cases, of the bag-worm were also found 

 suspended from some of the trees. This insect, in the adult stage, is a moth. 

 The larvae are caterpillars, which are leaf-feeders, attacking many species of trees, 

 but more especially the Arbor-vitas and the Red Cedar. 



There is need of more definite observation to determine how long trees will live 

 when defoliated each year by insects. It is well known that they will endure 

 defoliation once without serious injury. Certain trees in Flushing, which were 

 pointed out as having been entirely stripped of leaves last year, were in 

 August of this year in the most luxuriant foliage. Mr. W. S. Egerton, 

 Superintendent of Parks of Albany, states that a tree will endure defoliation by 

 insects for about four years. Borers, such as the leopard moth, that destroy the 

 branches, are more to be feared than the leaf-feeders. Evidences of the work of 

 the leopard moth, however, were not sufficiently abundant to warrant the 

 conclusion that the trouble was very largely due to this insect. 



No doubt the trees of Flushing have suffered from insect attack, especially from 

 that of the white-marked tussock moth, and I advised the Good Citizenship League 

 to have the school children collect and burn the cocoons of this insect, also the 

 larval cases of the bag-worm. As a result many thousands were thus destroyed 

 last spring. 



However, the impression seemed to be general among the people that the 

 trouble was due not so much to the insects as to electricity from the trolley 

 wires and to gas leaking from the mains. To investigate this matter a blank 

 was prepared for the purpose of locating trees that had died within two years, 

 and to determine whether the trees stood on the same side of the street as the 

 gas mains or trolley wires, or across the street from the same. Twelve copies of 

 this blank were sent to Mrs. Mary K. Whittaker, who distributed them among 

 members of the Good Citizenship League. Twelve streets were recorded as 

 having dead trees. All these streets had gas mains and five had trolley lines. 

 Twenty-six trees were reported as killed. Eleven were on the same side as the 

 gas main and five were across the street from it. The remaining ten were 

 indefinitely reported. Two trees were mentioned as being on the same side as 

 the trolley line and one across the street. Thirteen were on streets that had no 

 trolley line. The trees reported as killed were Tulip, Linden, Southern Cypress, 

 Elm, Maple, Oak and Fir. From the tabulation of answers the evidence seems 

 strongest against the gas mains. 



