77 



upon the standing and felled timber. Therefore, in tliis item alone the 

 annual loss to the country and to the ]nanufa(;turers is enornious, for it 

 must be remembered tliat a large per cent of the defective lumber is 

 manufactured and disposed of at a loss to the manufacturer, and is often 

 the cause of serious loss to the consumer. 



No accurate estimates of the pecuniary losses caused by forest insects 

 can l)e made. Yet with the knowledge gained on the subject from 

 recent investigations of the ravages of forest-tree insects, from corre- 

 spondence with lumber manufacturers ui)on the subject, and reference 

 to the statistics of forest products, we feel justified in presenting some 

 figures which will at least indicate the extent of the loss. 



We would estimate the loss caused by bark beetles of the family 

 Scolytidic, which have caused the death of pine and spruce trees over 

 vast areas within the last ten years, at an average of >55,O()O,O0O per 

 year; by bark and timber beetles of the Scolytidje family, causing 

 defective wood in felled timber, $1,()()0,00(), and by the same in timber 

 injured by fires and other causes, $1,000,000; by the Columbian timber 

 beetle to standing and living timbers, an average of $1,000,000 per 

 year; by the timber worms and the carpenter worms to the differ- 

 ent species of oak, an average of $2,000,000 per year; to cliestnut 

 timber by the chestnut timber worm, which is rendering one of the 

 most valuable woods almost worthless, an average of 81.000.000; b3' 

 wood-borers of the family Cerambycidje to standing timber injured by 

 fire, $2,000,000; to felled timber and saw-logs by the same kind of 

 insect, $2,000,000; by other wood-infesting insects to standing and 

 felled timber, $2,000,000; by foliage-infesting insects to living foiest 

 and shade trees, $3,000,000; by the white pine weevil, plant-lice, scale 

 insects, etc., to young forest growth, $1,000,000; by the powder post 

 beetles (Ptinidie) to forest products, such as seasoned handles, spokes, 

 hoop poles, building material, etc., $1,000,000. and by miscellaneous 

 insects not included in the above estimates, $3,000,000— a total of 

 $25,000,000 direct annual loss from insect ravages, which is without 

 doubt a low estimate. 



To the above could be added tlie loss to manufacturers in manufac- 

 turing and disposing of defective material, to consumers from the use 

 of the same, and to the indirect losses to the country in the diminished 

 forest area due to insect ravages; all of wliich, could it be estimated in 

 dollars and cents, would doubtless eipial at least 10 ])er cent of th.e total 

 value of the annual forest products of wood material iii this countiy, 

 or about $100,000,000 annually. 



WITH Fl RTHEK KNOWLEIXJH ON THE SllMECT MrClI OF THE LOSS 



(^AN IJE PREVENTED. 



Probably one of the princii)al reasons why the economic study of 

 forest insects has been neglected in tins country is the prevalent belief 

 that few, if any, practical methods can W found to |U(^vent loss from 

 their injuries. It is true the methods used to prevent loss from tlio 



