The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1883-08-10
The Dying Spruce Trees in Maine.

Some weeks ago your correspondent
reported the fact of the decay and death
of spruce in some of the townships in
Northern Aroostook. The total loss of
so much valuable timber has, naturally,
excited uneasiness among those who
own timber lands in that section of the
State. In consequence of the general
interest in the subject and it's impor-
tance,I have taken the trouble to ascer-
tain the opinions of practical lumber
men as to the cause Of the decay of the
spruce trees.
Jacob Harding, of Caribou, who fol
the past ten years has had charge of
townships of wild land, and who has
been in the woods a great deal during
that time, says that one-third of the
spruce down to eleven inches in diam
eter in the five ranges of townships
west from Eagle Lake stream is either
dead or dying. His observation is that
the young spruce is unaffected. His view
of the cause is as follows: About eight
years ago, late in the fall, there were
heavy rains, which loosened the earth
as had never before been known. These
rains were followed by % protracted
gale and severe winter, and in consa-
quence the root filters of the spruce trees
were broken, and decay followed. He
says that he has observed that on the
northwest slopes, where the winds had
the greatest rake, the spruce suffered
the most. He says the trees present at
first, at the top, a scared appearance,
and year by year death passes toward
the roots, sometimes on one side at a
time, at other times on both.
Samuel w. Collins, who has been IN
Aroostook for forty years, and was one
of the heavy operators in that section
in early days of numbering, and up to
within few years, gives his opinion
substantially as follows: He thinks the
spruce of Aroostook has reached it's ma
turity, that the age of aspruce tree is
from sixty to ninety years, it being a
rapid growing tree, and that it is simply
old age that causes the decay. He says
that forty years ago the spruce in North
ern Aroostook was small; and in the
townships where it has been cut there Isl
no loss from decay. tits principally in
those townships that have never been
cut over that the rot occurs. The loss,
he thinks, in the townships where the
spruce trees are decaying is about one
third. He does not believe in the theory
of the spider and worm, but his observa-
ton shows that in a very short time aft
er the trees begin to decay worm APP
pears.
Other gentlemen who were inter-
viewed think that the trees are dying
only from natural causes; that the
spruce after a certain number of wears
dies from old age. In support of this
theory they argue that it is only the old
spruce that are dying; that the young
trees are healthy and show no signs of
decay They do not believe that it is
worms that kill the spruce, and claim
that in all cases it is shown that the
worms follow, otprecede, decay of the
spruce.
MIR. III. M. Prentiss, of this city, in a
well-written letter published in a recent
number of the Northwestern Lumber
man, takes strong ground in favor of
the theory that the spruce are dying
from old age. He also thinks that re-
ports in regard to the dying of spruce
trees have been greatly exaggerated
Cor. Boston journal