teak AUDUBON BULLETIN 
Published Quarterly by the 
DLEEINOLTS AUDUBON SOCIETY 
ROOSEVELT ROAD AND LAKE SHORE DRIVE, CHICAGO 5, ILL. 
Number 99 September, 1956 
Bird Mortality in Elmhurst 
By Mrs. A. E. MONTGOMERY 
ELMHURST, A RESIDENTIAL suburb west of Chicago, with a population of 
about 31,000, is justifiably proud of its beautiful elm trees. Located on 
what was originally prairie land, a community of large summer homes 
and lovely gardens belonging to wealthy Chicagoans was in early years 
known as Cottage Hill. Between 1860 and 1870 the streets were planted 
with elm trees, and as these trees matured in size and beauty it was natural 
that the name of the community should have been changed to Elmhurst. 
A great many of these hundred year old elms stand together with younger 
elms to arch their branches across the streets and provide cool shade in 
the heat of summer. 
What wonder then that when the feared Dutch elm disease actually 
attacked one or two elm trees last year, the citizens should demand that 
money be appropriated and every effort be expended to combat the blight. 
Steps toward plant sanitation were instituted at once. The diseased trees 
and those immediately adjacent to them were destroyed promptly, and men 
began the work of pruning away all dead branches or weakened parts 
from all trees on city property, while many home owners hired similar 
work done on their own grounds. This continued through the winter and 
spring. 
Beginning about April 1, 1956, and continuing into May, a program of 
spraying all city elm trees with DDT was carried out. It was a huge job, 
and the work was carried on by night as well as by day. Enormous amounts 
of DDT were required to assure covering the bark of the trunk and high 
branches to control the elm bark beetle which transmits the fatal fungus 
disease, and it was noted that a heavy, gummy residue remained on any 
car or other object near the trees after the sprayers had passed. 
The city employed a contractor who used a mist blower, and the work 
was done in accordance with recommendations of the federal Department 
of Agriculture and of the Illinois Natural History Survey. At the same time 
private contractors using hydraulic sprayers were employed by some pri- 
vate home owners, and perhaps 5 percent of the trees were so sprayed. 
City officials place the blame for what followed on the use of these 
hydraulic sprayers, but that is only conjecture and there can be no proof. 
The results of the use of DDT in such quantity may be interesting to 
ornithologists and to residents of other Illinois communities faced with 
the same problem. 
C1] 
