Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-07-10
THE GREAT TREE PEST.
Myrisds Of Caterpillars Already Begin.
ming Their Destructive Work.

Myrinds of Caterpillars Already Begin
ming Their Destructive Work.
n THERE ANY WAY TO SAVE THE GREENERY IN
THE PARKS AND STREETS FROM THEIR RAW
AeEs?-wHAT Mr.. SMITH OF THE BOTANICAL
GARDEN sAYs-THE ENGLISH SPARROW.
Just at this season every year the silver-col-
ored webs Of the caterpiller begin to appear in
the tree tops. At first they are no larger than
mans hand, but the inhabitants are industri-
Gus. and every day the webs grow larger and
larger until, if some measures are not taken to
arrest their progress, they will, in time, cover
the whole tree, not leaf being allowed to es-
cape the ravages Of the destructive army of
worms. They will not desert their prey until
every drop Of the hfs-giving sap has been
taken away from it, and then they depart for
greener fields leaving behind them the once
beautiful tree Q complete wreck.
TEE PESTS BEGINNING THEIR WORK ALREADY.
70 any one who has observed the coming of
these pests since Washington became the great
park that IL is it begins to look as if there was
going to be more trouble this season than ever
before. Never SO early in the summer have
they put in an appearance in such numbers.
They aresshowiDg up everywhere-over every
Tree and plant, dropping down ones neck as
he saunters along, and making themselves gen.
orally offensive and conspicuous, Not only is
the fuzzy little caterpillar with the black nose
and yellow feelers here, but his soft smoothed-
skinned brother has put in an appearance
The latter is exceedingly repulsive, and. more
over, he il dangerous. He has a little bag of
venom concealed about him. and when he feels
inclined he uses it with good effect.
BEAUTIFUL BUT INEFFECTIVE THEORIES.
Various have been the methods employed,
inf Cd IN a. "a
tree pests, but nothing has yet been discovered
that seems to lessen their ravages to any great
extent. Entomologists, florists, chemists all
have their ideas to what should be a sure
cure. Their theories sound very well; they get
Mr.. Caterpillar Just where they want him. lust
where he cannot escape, but he gets there Just
the same when the season comes around and,
nguratively, laughs at his would-be destroyers
Some years ago a writer made the discovery
that the trees in England did not suffer SO
much from the ravages Of the caterpillar as
those In this country, and ascribed this fact to
the little sparrow with which that country
is infested. The caterpillars were unusu-
ally numerous that season, and imme-
diRtely hue and cry was raised by
the people, who vociferously demanded that a
cargo of the birds be imported. In due time it
arrived, and the sparrows were released in the
parks Of the various cities throughout the
country. Much was expected. and they gave
much. They proved to be the most prolific
members of the bird world, and before many
years had passed they had spread all over the
country. The sparrow proved himself dis
tlnctiye city bird, q denizen of house caves
and queer hooks and crannies. People have
never yet decided whether his coming was a
blessing or a curse.
VIEWS OF AN EXPERT
Superintendent Smith Of the Botanical gar
den is an authority on all such matters as those
above referred to. He has made lifelong
study of trees, birds, and flowers and has read
almost everything that has been written on the
subject But he did not stop there. To this
great -store of information he has added his
own observations and thoughts, and, in conse-
quenee, IS perhaps as well qualified as any
man IN the country to speak on these subjects
Gas has been said many time before" said
MI Smith to STAR reporter, 1.-The caterpillar
Is the greatest enemy OF the tree, and there is
nothing that does so much to mar its beauty
and destroy its vitality as that same little in
consequent worm. This is the season they be-
GIN 10 appear, and the other day / saw them in
the trees for the first time. They are the great
pest, the great plague Of the tree world"
NO ENTIRELY SUCCESSFUL REMEDY.
lis there no remedy" asked the reporter.
The worst of 1t all is that there is no en-
tirely successful remedy" was the reply.
Paris green does some good. believe, but
there are objections to its USE and very serious
ones. 1t Is dangerous in the first place, being
Slruient poison, and it is very expensive and
difficult to USE"
What seems to be the trouble as to a
remedy ventured the reporter
Well. the little pest is hard to get at and
when you get at him he is hard to kill This is
really not the proper time to do this work
though much good can be done even after he
has start. The winter is the time to wage
war on him. The little crevices in the bark OF
the trees are where the eggs are laid. Here
quietly all winter they remain. The warm
weather matches them out and they issue forth
by millions, swarming over the trees. building
Their nests IN the tops and spinning their silken
threads from limb to limb. They grow yery
rapidly, spreading In every direction and spoil
ing the fresh greenery, honey-combing the
leaves"
GOOD WORD FOR THE ENGLISH SPARROW.
Il still maintain" continued M. Smith,
despite the cry that has been raised against
the English sparrow, that he is the greatest
enemy of the worm, and while ne has not
proved the success that he was expected 10
prove, he has not been altogether a failure.
IL II question, however, with q great many
people whether the good he does in clearing
Is not more than eounterbalanced by the harm
he does TO other things. Contrary to the gem
eral idea, it is In winter that he does his work
ss an eradicator Of the caterpillar He has to
be forced to his work. Nothing is too good
for him and when the good things Of the earth
are scattered all about he does not neglect
them aud eat the caterpillars. He lives ON the
Fat OF the land in summer, but when the chill
blasts Of winter come he has to take what he
can get and work pretty hard for that. When
the ground IL covered with snow the worms
are alternating in the interstices Of the tree
and he Pecks away, destroying many of them. I"
FIRE As AN ERADIcAroR
Have you any suggestions as to the best
method of fighting the pests at this season, +"
asked the reporter.
Yes" was his answer, good deal Of good
may even new be done. The housekeeper NAV
snppiementthe work Of the parking commission
by cutting OF the branches where the nests
are now being formed and putting them in
Piies and burning them. This, il is true, will
do but little good, but every caterpillar de-
sroyed stops the ravages TO some extent and
mat Is what all Of Us want. The parking COM
MISSION viii shortly take decided action in
efadicating the caterpillar, and as a move in
snat drecron We expect to commence white
waning the trees at an early day. You know
lime destroys the eggs to a large extent
eO~--
Death by Electricity.
The taking Of testimony In the case OF VIM.
kemler, the first murderer sentenced to die