Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-07-24
FORESTS LAID WASTE
by a New Pest in the Form of Small
Bark and Timber Beetles.
NATURE PROVIDES THE REMEDY.
Parasite Gnats Clearing Out the Bugs and
Saving Young Trees.
MINOR NEWS FROM THE THREE STATES
rsPEc1AL rELreRAMs TO THE prsrArcH.1

ESPECIAL TELEGRAMs TO THE DrsPArcH.l
MoRGANTowN, W. VA, July 23.-The
West Virginia Agricultural Experiment
Station at this place has just issued bulle-
tin in report on the black spruce forests of
the State. These forests exceed 500, 600
acres, and cover 500 square miles of terri
tory. The document deals especially with
the terrible destruction of late inflicted by
insects. The report states that the first in
dications the entymologist, Prof A. D.
Hopkins, noticed of the ravages were in
Randolph county. A special trip was made
to that county twice for the purpose of in
vestigating the queer disease that was kill
ing thousands of trees on the Cheat Noun
Jains
In Tucker county, also, great numbers of
the dead spruce were noticed, but the
spectacle presented by the formerly mag
nifcent sides of the Cheat Mountains was
something remarkable. Thousands upon
thousands acres of what was once valuable
and handsome timber now stand a dry,
withered and dreary waste. Some 1000
acres of this land were leased to the Cheat
Mountain Sportsmens Club, and the decay
has set in right in the midst of their reserva-
tion. One of the dead trees at a height of
4,3l0 feet above the sea, was at once attacked
with hatchet and the first stroke that laid
the bark open showed distinct traces of
insect life. The insects were found to be the
destructive scolytide, bark and timber
beetles, which are known to have caused
such great destruction to the timber of
France, Germany and Canada, and which
are now thought to have laid SO many thou
sands acres waste here.
Years ago this dark dismal section was
named shades of Death" and to-day its ap-
pearance makes the name seem prophetic.
\ small ee.about eight inches in diameter,
not quite dead. was next carefully examined,
when hundreds of insects were found to
have mined through the bark from every
side and into the wood, thus checking the
low Of sap and ultimately killing the tree.
This had been going on for the past three
years, but had lately waned, and trees in
some places seemed to be recovering their
original health.
Tho entymologiSt was amazed to unex-
pectedly find the cause of the stoppage of
the insects work of destruction in the very
small gnats were noticed lowering over the
trees attacked, and these very same gnats
were found in the mines in the bark made
by the bOrers. The gnats were preying on
the bOrers, and undoubtedly this wise pro-
vision OF nature in increasing the number of
Enats Will delay, if not entirely stop, the
killing OF the spruce. These gnats or para
SITES Of the scolytidaa were captured in
great numbers and are being carefully pro-
loEated, Mr.. Hopkins stating that there is
40 doubt they can be successfully propo-
gated and introduced into infected districts
Inc value OF the dead trees is estimated at
the very lowest as s.. 600, and every effort
VIII be ma0e, both by natural and artificial
means, to prevent the spread OF the disease.