Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1883-07-31

The Sunday Herald publishes an interv;ev
MN rrof. c. v. Riley Of the o. s. Entomo.
logical Commission in the cour,e If vb;,.
sne following was said regarding the cause q,
the destruction of spruce tree, which h.. -.
sracted 80 much attention. The injury i,
entirely due to the work eff false caterp;Il.,
or saw fly larsa-a worm about three. fou,,h.
OF an inch long when full grown. wirh.a blacl
head, pale green body, with darker green
side stripes and fenpairs of prolegs. The in.
secs may De known - the spruce saw iy, II
passes the winter in a tough brownish COCOON
IN the moss and turf on the surface of the
ground The parent fly is black, with some
TOUR OF the abdominal segments reddish vel
low. 1t issues from the cocoon in Jone. and
the FEMALE lays her eggs in the terminal
young shoots, making about dozen incisions
10 each, and thus causing the shoot to curl in
= characfef1stlc manner. A few egga NAV
even now be found Unmatched, but the buIf
OF them hatch in June, and by the present
time OF year most of the worms have left the
trees and spun up.
"But have not other explanations been of.
fered of this injury?"
% yes! Where facts and close observe.
ton are wanting, theories abonnd. The chief
OF these are change of climate and odd age.
Some high in authority, have adopted this
last but there IL no sense in II. Tree.
die of old age gradually and individu ,llv.
This kind of decay is easily recognizable in
any species, and in q forest is NOT particular.
ly perceptible because younger trees gradual.
ly take the place Of the failing ones. Your
hackmatacks of all ages are being killed by
the worm, which, while partial to old trees.
spares neither youth nor age. Occasionally
tree dies from some other cause, as by
borers, for instance. or injury by Ere; but
such trees are conspicuous from their brown
dead leaves which are not eaten off."
"What is the extent Of the injury, profess
sor?''
sit extends throughout New England and
New York and about two-thirds of the trees
throughout this whole extent are already de-
stroyed."
'Have you any remedy to recommend"
MAN is impOtent to stem such widespread
injury. Trees can be saved, but the element,
of cost will dsarm all attempts on a large
scale. Smaller trees could be easily protect
ed by spraying them with water impregnated
with arsenic in some one of the now well
known forms. as, for instance, one pound of
London purple to 80 or 100 gallons of water,
or one pound OF Paris green to 40 gallons of
water A certain quantity Of -four should be
stirred in to give greater adbesiveness. These
liquids sprayed on the trees will kill all the
worms that hatch. 1 shall publish in the
forthcoming annual report of the department
an accout of some improved methods of apply
ing them to trees by means of special spray
ing nozzle attached to a rubber tube which is
passed through long bamboo rod and con-
nected with force pump in barrel or tank
u h.,h -
can be poisoned in a comparatively short
time, and with minimum quantity of ma
terial. If l had grove of young spruces
should certainly adopt this method of
saving them. IL occurs to me that something
NAV be done also in the way of raking up
old leaves and moss on the ground on which
the cocOons are formed, and burning them
during the fall of the year. However, these
methods are only valuable in limited areas,
and we shall doubtless have to await natures
own remedy, namely, the increase of the in
sects natural enemies, or some meteOrOl0gi-
cal influence that may injuriously affect it.
Whenever species becomes SO pr0digiously
abundant as this has become a corresponding
scarcity and immunity from it is very apt to
follow swiftly. Whether this change will &C.
cur before all the trees are killed or not, it is
impossible to say"
''YOu have no idea of the value of the
trees destroyed?'
81 have not any statistics of the damage in
Now England, but it is very great and impair
tant."
'IIoes not the injury extend to other ever
green trees?"
mo, notice a good dealof injury and of
dying twigs and branches among the white
pines, the tips, or whole branches and some
times small trees being brown and dead. But
this has no connection with insect work, nor
does it result from the effect of fire. have
examined it closely, and have come to the
conclusion that it results from the exception
al drouth that has prevailed for the last three
years combined with the severity of the past
winter. The ground got dried out to an un-
usual depth. aud when the roots of coniferon
tree once drv they perish"