40 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 
valley show that it is by all means advisable to adopt adequate 
measures at the outset rather than to lose thousands of magnificent 
elms. The latter, we are sorry to state, appears to be necessary 
before municipalities appreciate the destructive possibilities of this 
shade tree pest. | 
Experience has shown that there is nothing better for the control 
of the elm leaf beetle than thorough spraying with an arsenical 
poison, preferably arsenate of lead in the prepared paste form. 
The essential to success is an early application of this poison to the 
under side of the leaves. It is necessary that the spraying be mod- ~° 
erately early and, as a rule, we have advised beginning the work-as 
soon as the leaves were about half out, owing to the fact that other- 
wise it is almost impossible to get over most of the trees in a city 
before the grubs have attained their growth and caused a great deal 
of injury. The cost of this treatment is by no means excessive 
when compared with the value of the trees. Furthermore, the city 
of Albany expended in 1906 over half a million dollars for the main- 
tenance and improvement of its streets, excluding sewers, while 
less than one half of 1% of this sum was devoted to the protection 
of the trees. This is relatively much better than the amount ex- 
pended by many other cities for the care of their trees. Shade 
trees are such conspicuous features and add so greatly to the 
beauty of the streets that it would seem as though a considerably 
larger proportion of the amount devoted to the maintenance and 
improvement of the streets, might well be used for the protection 
of the trees. : . 
Sugar maple borer (Plagionotus speciosus Say). 
This insect continues to maintain its reputation as a deadly enemy 
of the sugar maple, deservedly one of the most popular of our 
shade trees. Signs of its operations are visible in many of the 
cities and villages throughout the State, and occasionally one goes 
into a neighborhood where the insect has become rather abundant 
and promises to cause great: injuries in the near future. Such is 
the case at Williamsville, Erie co., a small village on the edge 
of Buffalo. There is a row of about 59 trees a little way out and 
on the main street, which are very badly infested by this borer. 
These trees are 25 or 30 years of age, still shapely and in fairly 
good condition, despite the fact that several are beginning to show 
the operations of this insect. Eight years ago this row of trees 
appeared to be practically free from the pest, and it would not be 
surprising if, in the course of 5 to 10 years, many of these young 
maples were practically ruined by this attack. | 
