6 



FRIDAY, JULY 27. 190 



ELM TREES ENDANGERED 



Beetle Is Now Becoming Very- 

 Troublesome 



Its Appearance This Year Was a 

 Surprise 



Spread Over Eastern Part of the 

 State 



Season Far Advanced for Good Suppression 

 Work 



It seems to be the concensus of opinion 

 among: entomologists and those who have 

 the care of trees, that the appearance of 

 the elm leaf beetle this year was a sur- 

 prise, and this accounts in a large measure 

 for the damage that that beetle has done. 

 Unchecked In its career, because of general 

 ignorance of its presence, it has developed 

 into a serious pest practically all over the 

 eastern section of Massachusetts. It has 

 been found in great numbers as far Into 

 the State from Boston as Lowell, Marl- 

 boro, Newburyport, Blockstone, Springfield, 

 Northampton and Worcester; around Bos- 

 ton Its greatest prevalence is in Salem, 

 Lynn, Stoneham. Woburn, Arlington, Cam- 

 bridge, Medford, Framlngham, Wellesley, 

 Milton. Brookline and Somerville. In many 

 of these places it has disfigured large sec- 

 tions of shade trees, both In the streets, 

 In parks and on private property. Many 

 trees are stripped of their foliage, and 

 others are looking sickly. 



These bugs have even entered the Bos- 

 ton park system and may be seen in con- 

 siderable numbers around the Chestnut 

 Hill Reservoir; but the trees in that vicini- 

 ty have been sprayed for the gypsy and 

 brown-tail moths and therefore were proof 

 against the beetle. Starting in the Brook- 

 line Village, which has numerous elms, 

 the beetle may be traced out through 

 Washington street to Beacon street and 

 out to the Reservoir. Beacon street is 

 seriously invaded by the pest and instead 

 of giving the usual delight to the cus- 

 tomarily popular car rides it is a strong 

 reminder of a dying season. A large part 

 of this beautiful thoroughfare is planted 

 with elms, which are still young, and the 

 pestiferous beetle has searched out nearly 

 every one of them from Harvard street out 

 to Washington street. On the side streets 

 planted with elms the condition Is about 

 Ihe same, though the trees are not as bad- 

 ly eaten in that part of Brookline as are 

 those around the village. Trees complete- 

 ly stripped may be seen in many directions 

 from the centre of the town, and the 

 largest elm on the town hall ground is a 

 good example of how thickly the beetles 

 will settle down on a single tree when not 

 checked. 



In Cambridge It is most prevalent on 

 Harvard street, Massachusetts avenue 

 and Brattle street. The college grounds 

 are believed to have escaped the pest be- 

 cause of the treatment for other tree 

 enemies. One of the chief beauties of the 

 University City is her noble elm trees, 

 and that Cambridge people are going to 

 work in earnest toward the suppression 

 of this beetle is shown by tl 

 of householders that may be seen any 

 day spraying the bases of their trei 



To Inform the tree owners about this 

 beetle Superintendent Kirkland of the 

 gypsy and brown-tall moths work a few 

 days ago sent the following circular to 

 the various towns and cities that havi 

 reported infestations, and to property 



"Owing to the prevalence of this insect in 

 eastern Massachusetts this year and tin 

 numerous inquiries which are made of tt»i 

 local superintendent concerning its habits 

 the following information may be found 

 useful: 



"The mature beetle hibernates in large 

 numbers under shingles and clapboards of 

 buildings and under the rough bark of trees 

 and elsewhere. In May the beetles emerge 

 from their winter quarters and feed foi 

 some weeks on the foliage of the elm, mak- 

 ing round holes through the leaves. A 

 badly infested tree at that time of year ap- 

 pears as if charges of fine shot had beer 

 fired through the foliage. The eggs, simi- 

 lar in appearance to those of the potato 

 beetle, are laid in clusters on the under side 

 of the leaves. Hatching takes place late 

 in May or early in June. 



"The slugs feed on the lower epid' 

 the leaf, and by July 1 often ca 

 trees to turn as brown as if scorched by 

 fire. When full-grown the si 



3-half 

 ispicuc 



rish, 



vith 



side, 

 •the back 



About the middle of July they descend to 

 the trunk of the tree or to the ground 

 and pupate in large masses. The pupse 

 orange yellow in color, and from them the 

 beetles emerge by August 1. 



"Remedy: Spraying with arsenate of 

 lead during the first two weeks of June 

 will destroy the slugs and prevent injury 

 to the trees. Care must be taken to 

 thoroughly spray the under surface of the 



Late 



in the 



i the slu 



pupae may be destroyed in the bark or 

 the base of the trees by the use of stro: 

 soap suds, kerosene emulsion, or even hot 

 water. 



"It is almost too late at this writing 

 spray to advantage with arsenate of lead." 



A good suggestion to tree owners is con- 

 tained in the Mowing communication from 

 a iRoxbury correspondent: 



'The elm tree worm, caterpillar or beetle 

 as it is variously called, according to its 

 stage of development, has attacked our 

 elms and Is rapidly stripping them of their 

 foliage. Its method Is to eat the green 

 portion of the leaf, leaving only a dry 

 skeleton, which falls from the tree, leaving 

 the twigs as bare as In winter. 



"To prevent as far as possible the further 

 ravages of these Insects and to destroy as 

 many of {hem as possible, and thus prevent 

 their increase, seems to be the only course 

 left us to protect our trees, and to do this 

 requires prompt action on the part of In- 

 dividual citizens, for the evil Is too wide- 

 spread to be overcome by the public officials 

 alone. I write, therefore, to suggest some 

 simple methods by which the ordinary cit- 

 izen may aid In this work. 



"Doubtless there are other methods more 

 scientific, but these are simple and within 

 the reach of all. Look upon the ground at 

 the foot of any elm tree and you will see 

 a ring of yellow objects surrounding the 

 tree, and looking as if some one had strewn 

 a quantity of yellow meal around the tree. 

 Upon examination, you will see that these 

 are eggs and young worms which will soon 

 be climbing up the tree to eat the leaves. 



"Drench them with boiling water, poured 

 right from a teakettle, and you have ex- 

 terminated hundreds or thousands, not to 

 mention the millions of descendants which 

 they might have produced. Examine the 

 trunk of the tree and you will see the 

 worms, about half an inch long, moving 

 up and down and hiding under the rough 

 layers of bark. These can easily be ex- 

 posed by pulling off the loose bark, and 

 killed by crushing them with a stick or u 

 wire brush, and those in the crevices of the 

 bark can be scalded to death by boiling 

 water poured upon them from tho tea- 

 kettle. Strips of sticky tartfelefoot fly-paper 

 tied tightly around the tree will trap all 

 insects which try to cross it, travelling up 

 or down, and where the bark is so rough 

 as to leave spaces underneath oven after 

 it has been scraped as smooth as possible, 

 cotton wool can bo crowded into tho crev- 

 ices, and the passage of the worms pre- 

 vented. If kerosene is poured upon the 

 cotton they will not care to force their way 



Nearly all sections have had the same ex- 

 perience with this beetle. They saw no in- 

 dication last year of its becoming' very 

 troublesome this summer and have done 



practically nothing to check It. James H. 

 Bowdltch, chairman of the Tree Planting 

 Committee of the town of Brookline, said 

 today that his committee was not aware of 

 Its presence until much damage had been 

 wrought by it, and then It *as too late to 

 accomplish anything by spraying the trees. 

 He nays that the beat treatment for It now 

 Is to destroy as many of tho caterpillars 

 and pupas as may be reached around the 

 base of the tree; this can be done by the 

 use of hot water, kerosene or strong soap 

 suds, and will diminish the number, but of 

 course will leave many to hatch out and at- 

 tack the trees next, summer. The same pro- 

 cess is recommended in Cambridge by the 

 Park Commission of which George Howland 

 Cdx Is chauman, and as it has been sug- 

 gested in the circular letter by the State 

 entomologist, it Is likely to be used to 

 some extent all over the district. 



As the larva is now going Into it? pupa 

 stage It will feed no more this year, but 

 the matured beetle which will emerge In 

 live or ten days will continue the attack 

 upon the half-eaten foliage and then go 

 under shelter for the winter. The time 

 for spraying is early In the spring when 

 these matured beetles come out from 

 their shelter to feed upon the tender 

 foliage. If the leaves are well covered 

 with arsenate of lead on the under side 

 at that time the bug dies from the effect 

 of eating them. The kerosene emulsion, 

 hot water or soap suds recommended for 

 use at present kill by contact, while the 

 spraying with arsenate of lead kills only 

 when tho coated leaves are) eaten. 



It Is five years since the elm loaf beetle 

 visited Massachusetts in such numbers. 

 Then it established Itself in nearly all the 

 cities and large towns, swarming Into the 

 State from the south by way of the Hoosa- 

 tonlc and Connecticut valleys and passing 

 Dorth into southern Vermont and New 

 Hampshire. It il great amount of dam- 

 age at that time, among which may be 

 counted the defoliation of troes on the Bos- 

 ton Common, and was regarded as one of 

 the most serious tree pests In the State. 

 True to Its custom, however, it suddenly 

 disappeared.. Usually it comes suddenly and 

 mysteriously' disappears after a year or two. 



SEBIXO TIII2 PARASITES 



Moth Workers <in«l Mayor* Visit the 

 l.nliorutory at Miliums 



A party of mayors and selectmen and 

 local gypsy moth superintendents, accom- 

 panied by A. II. Kirkland. State superin- 

 tendent, went to Saugus this afternoon to 

 see the parasites which the State has Im- 

 ported from Europe, and is breeding in a 

 laboratory for use against the gypsy and 

 brown-tail moths. These are officials who 

 may have a good deal to do with the moth 

 pest campaign in the near future, and it is 

 the policy of the State superintendent that 

 they shall be fully informed on all sides 

 of the work. They left Boston at 2.15 

 this afternoon and at Wakefield took a 

 r for Saugus. 



THIS EVENING'S NEWS 



Local 



Cloudy; variable winds. 

 Pour automobillsts fined at Dedbam. 

 Fifth day of the Longwood tennis totir- 

 ament. 



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Lord n| 



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