St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-04-13
A Horticulturist Talks.

/ n AdtkSs
!! Prof. w. Fl. Brown, horticulturist
and entomolOgist, Twas next seen, and he
! talked quite interestingly as follows:
| THE present invasion of the tree
destroying worms is not the first that
has afflicted us. The first visitation
was about fifteen wears ago. Again the
pest came seven years ago, again two
wears later,and again last summer. es-
innate that the damage done to trees by
worms alone in st. Paul and Mime
apolis during the past year will
amount to 100000. At the reque st of
Col. Van Slyke, Aid. Cullen. Aid.
MeIady and others, | have just made
a thorough examination of the trees in
|; Central park, and out of 1913 trees find
/ lightly, by worms. do not think
this is due to negligence. but
toignorance on the part of the man who
has the care of the trees. The trouble
might easily have been averted. The
trees are chiefly affected on the south
side, and many of them are past saving.
81 have found thirteen different kinds
of worms, belonging to family of 800
varieties. The way in which these
worms get into the trees is chiefly
through the cracking of the bark by the
alternate thawing and freezing at this
season. The sun warns the south side
of the tree by day. and starts the sap.
The frost freezes it at night. The
sap-especially of naples, box elders
and other sugar bearing trees--fiows
into the opening and forms jelly in
which the moths love to deposit their
eggs. The eggs hatch and the worms
deVour the sweet stuff, aud then explore
the tree, looking for more. The same
result may he produced by having the
tree trimmed by an ignorant person,
|. who will cut off branch and leave the
/ wound uncovered. A large number Of
fine trees in this city have thus been
ruined"
Blight i'm Fruit Trees.
When questioned about blight among
fruit trees. the professor said:
.I'll answer that question by stating
that there has been very great deal of
trouble experienced from blight to
apple trees. When | sold my farm at
Fulda, Mimi, to Bishop Ireland, there
were seventy-fve apple-bearng trees
upon the place, and there was not
single tree among them that had
blighted limb. | now reside at
No. 749 German avenue. st. Paul,
where you may see in tlOurishing con-
dition ten apple trees that l have owned
for three years. Among them are the
: Duchess, Transcendent and Siberian
types. They bear apples every year,
and they have never been affected by
blight or worms since | became the
foWner of them. | would be happy to
ihave them inspected by all interested
spersons.
ssThere is another influence at work
destroying the shade trees of these two
cities, and especially have l noticed
this in st. Paul, where there never has
I been any excess of fertile earth. The
influence of which speak is lack OF
food and drink. That was the chief
ttrouble pith the trees in the capitol
grounds, before the tanks were
;placed at their roots. SO great
lis the reverence felt for trees, you have
noticed some grand old trunks towering
up through the stone sidewalks in GER
stain localities? Those monachS must
all die unless something is done for
them. The water can not reach their
roots, and there is no way to
get nutriment with the limestone
underneath the curbstone on the
side and the Portland stone
ND above the roots. The building OF
sewers and the paving of streets has
tendency to drain off the moisture ne
cessary to the health OF shade tree,