374 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE. 



SECOND EEPORT ON THE CAUSES OF THE DESTRUCTION OF THE 

 EVERGREEN AND OTHER FOREST TREES IN NORTHERN NEW 

 ENGLAND AND NEW YORK. 



By Dr. A. S. Packard, Special Agent. 



In pursuance of the work of the last season, I visited the Adirondack 

 region of New York in June and July of the present season, and then 

 made an extended journey through Aroostook County, Maine, visiting 

 the Moosehead Lake region, and spent the remainder of the summer at 

 Brunswick, Me., and on the shores of Oasco Bay. My object in visit- 

 ing Northern New York and Maine in the latter part of June and early 

 in July was to ascertain whether the Spruce-bud Tortrix described in 

 my last report was concerned in the widespread destruction of spruce 

 and fir in those important lumbering regions. The result showed that 

 this caterpillar, which has in former years been so destructive to the 

 spruce and fir in Cumberland and adjoining counties, has not been at 

 work to any appreciable extent in the northern forests. Indeed, not a 

 caterpillar of this species (Tortrix fumiferana) was to be found after 

 diligent search in the Adirondacks nor in Aroostook, and at Moosehead 

 Lake but a single specimen was captured, early in July (the 7th), show- 

 ing that it was much less common this year than at the Rangely Lakes 

 last season. Here it may be remarked that the same caterpillar was 

 found late in June (the 22d) to be less common about the shores of Casco 

 Bay than in 1883. This shows that this destructive insect is gradually 

 becoming scarce. 



THE DESTRUCTION OF SPRUCES IN NORTHERN NEW YORK. 



I spent about two weeks in the middle part of June in the Adiron- 

 dacks, passing through the more mountainous portions, from the 

 Ausable Chasm to Scroon Lake, spending most of the time at Keene 

 Flats, at Beede's Hotel, in the heart of the forest region. Mr. Beede, who 

 was formerly a lumberman and guide through these forests, informed 

 me that the spruce had been dying for the past fifteen years, and that 

 on the mountains surrounding the hotel about one spruce in ten had 

 died; and from our observations and those of George Hunt, esq., of 

 Providence, who kindly accompanied me on this journey and who has 

 visited these woods for many years past, we should judge this to be a 

 moderate estimate. The trees had not died in masses or clumps, but 

 simply individually, and in places only were the dead trees especially 

 thick. That they had not died from the attacks of caterpillars was also 

 evident from the appearance of the trees, particularly the terminal 

 branches, which showed no traces of having been eaten back by worms, 

 such as is the case on the coast of Maine; moreover, no traces of the 

 bud-worms were to be found either on the young trees bordering open 

 fields or roadways or in the forests. 



Mr. Beede, like others, attributed the death of these to drought, but 

 it was observed that the trees were dying in damp, protected places, as 

 well as in situations where severe drought might injuriously affect them, 

 and that the pines and maples, as well as other trees, were in a healthy 

 condition. The path up to the summit of the "Giant of the Valley " 

 led through spruce woods, in which there were numerous dead and dying 

 spruces. None or scarcely any dead spruces or firs were observed which 

 did not have the bark filled with bark-borers, species of IJendroctomis 

 and Tomicus, or allied genera. 



