The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-07-27
ELM TREE BEETLE AGAIN.

hlprarlan BaSSett Sayh Il Hdl IL AAoS
 Done Little Damage This Year, How
 ever-Other Insect Pests,
 Librarian IT. F. Bassett Of Waterbury was asked recently to give Of his oo- servation on the extent to which the elm tree beetle has injured the trees this year. The result of his investiga- tions is as follows:
 "The elm beetle is defoliating our trees this year, but not to the extent IL did two years ago or even last year. Very few tres are stripped Of their leaves at this date (July 2D, though few will be found that do not snow more or less of the bettle's work. Juog- ing from the size of the larvae, they are about full grown and will do very llt-
 tie more damage this year. Happliy' their work began late this year. The leaves were fully grown and had per- formed most Of their part in the de- velopment of the seeds and annual SIoWt LII Ol lIle trees DeLoic tAtS A.'A
 of the beetle appeared In very consid- erable numbers. This Is a fortunate feature of their ravages, which would be far more harmful if made earlier 1n the season. My observations this year extend over large part of the city and
 ] think the injury to the elms Is far
 less than 1t was last year. The falling of dead leaves and the curled and hla ackened condition of the foliage oi many trees, elms and others, is not due to the elm beetle. Examining the fall. en leaves, very few will be found tc
 have been eaten by the beetles. Thelr destruction has been caused by aphideE (plant ice.)
 These have rarely been as numerous
 and destructive as they are this year Not only the elm, but the birch, walnut
 rose orrrant, indeed nearly every spe. cies of tree and shrub and most of the flowers and garden plants, swarm witt them. The elm has two or more spe. cies that do serious injury to it's foli. age. The species that is most destruc. tive this year will be found on the un- der side of the leaves. Another forms a gall, which from it's resemblance to 8
 rooster's comb is called the cockscomt gall. The gall is hollow and is literally filled with plant lice, yong and old. That species found on the under side of the leaves Is astonishingly prolific and the number on a single leaf ofter re -~ hundreds and as each leaf is
 infested, figures fail to express the al I most infinite numbers. ~ed with z beak or probocis, which they thrus into the leaf, they draw the sap iron it, and not only fill their bodies, bu | from two horn,ri'o ooirts on the pos terrier part of tto ',oa-- they discharge
 at brief intervals, tiny drops of { | clear fluid w-'~', T. swedish and is
 eaten by ants and other insects. This fluid Is elected in such quantities that
 1t covers fences and sidewalks, and 1T
 its fall is not unlike shower of mist
 and plainly visible at times. This honeydew, as it Is often called, falling upon the upper side of the leaves be-
 comes a coat of varnish almost or quite
 as injurious to the functions as the at tack of the aphis on the opposite side l Probably the injury to the elms done by the plant lice this year is ever greater than that by the elm beetle | We are beginning to learn that ever
 the worst of our insect foes have not 2 | few enemies that do much to protec
 us from their destructive attacks, ant | we ought to make the acquaintance O
 these friends so far, at least, as to pre- ] vent our mistaking them for enemie! 1 and destroying them. Some of my friends have actually been at pains tt
 mash the little nine-spotted lady bug
 and it's near relative with two spots 1 believing them to be grown up elm beetles' but they really are doing z 1 thousand times more to destroy bad in. ] sects than all the insecticides oul I neighbors used last year."