The evening times., 1897-07-02


every citizen of the city OF Washington
Every one who Is desirous Of haging the
beautiful shade trees that line the avenues
and cover the public reservations, pro-
tected from the annual rayages OF de
structive little insects, should take an in
teerst In the matter
That the shade trees of this city Mre one
OF the most beautiful Of it's many attrac-
tions would hardly be denied by any
Tourists and travellers, when mtervie wed
by newspaper representatives, soon after
their first arrival in the city, almost in
variably preface their first impressions
with O reference to the beauty OF the
trees that line every avenue. Delegates
to the postal congress-, recently held here
frequently spoke OF the brilliant green
foliage in the most glowing terms II
praise Major Boatian, the delegate from
Persia told a Times reporter that he
would always recall the foliage Of the
shade trees OF the American Capital as
being the most beautiful that he had seen
Oh his Journey of several thousand miles
from the very heart OF Persia
There is one city that excels the city
OF Washington In this respect, and that il
Paris. No doubt" he continue THAT
Is whythis SCALED the z arfsof A america >
True, the foliage of the shade trees was
most beautiful at the time the distinguished
delegate uttered these words of praise.
Had he been a visitor to Washington at
this time, when the insects are first ! e
ginning to damage the trees, OF several
weeks later, when the yeriant foliage
shall have heCome changed in color 20 a
dull brown. it is very likely that he " wJIld
have been impressed quite differently.
The parking commission is well aware
of the damage done to the elnls by the elm
leaf beetle; 10 the pOplaTs, soft ma Piles and
alders by the white-maTked tUsso,k moth,
Tag Worm and web worm, bat they a;e not
in a position to DO much. Capt. Burr, OF
the city engineer department., who has
supervision Of the work Of the commission,
was yesterday seen by a Times reporter
with regard to the great damage done by
these elm-leaf beetles during the Tast two
weeks.
eyes, 4" be said. emphatically, these pests
are doing a great deal of damage 10 the
elms, especially those in the vicinity of
Lafayette square. But what can we do
in the matter unless COngr appropriates
more money for the use OF tie parking
COmmission? The city Is grOwiDg, more
trees are being planted, and the Older
trees need greater attention tn Keep
thrTn in the proper condit on. and more
money should consequently be dppropri-
ated for these purposes. Our hwest esti-
mate of the amount already needed was
about $4,000. About $4,000 should be
appropriated 10 be devoted to insect and
caterpillar purposes alone We have re-
peatediy gone before Congress and urged
the importance and necessity of larger
appropriations. but without success We
might actually talk ourselves black in
the face without being given any kind OF
reasonable consideration at Their hands
Last wear we got 81 10000, and of this
more than $4,000 was expended in repair
ing the damage done To the trees by the
storm OF last September. when something
ike 1000 trees were destroyed. The ap-
preparation this wear is S2O, 900 Unless
these apprupria tions are increased il VIII
be impossible To keep the trees In proper
ooRGitiun 80 you see We cannot cope
with the insects at present. although the
matter may be brought to the attention
suggested hy your paper yesterday morn
ing are very good. and without a doubt
could be used with great success aud
economy All we want now are larger
appropriations, which, to be candid,
think we viii not get very soon"
Mr.. Reynolds, tie assistant botanist at
the Botanical Gardens, thinks that the only
thoroughly satisfactory safeguard against
the ravage of the beetle consists in spray
ing the tree with an arsenical solution.
Congress should make larger apprOpria-
tions for the use of the pa rking commisSi. N.
but" be continued, lit seems as though
il is a very difficult thing to get it TO
ma anife st it's appreciation OF the advantages
OF the shade tree by doing anything in shis
line
The only complete remedy is that OF
spraying. Ten years ago a proposal to
spray the enormous elmS, which are 10 be
found in many Northern towns as we'll as
in this city, would have been received with
ridiCule, but OF recent years the practical
bility of the plan has been so frequently
demonstrated that there is Do hesitancyin
commencing 10 TO general city use The
great Dexter elm. at Medford. Mass D., prob
been successfully and economically spra red
by the Gypsy Moth Commission 1t is
necessary to have especial appa Tatus con-
struCted, and il is equally necessary TO
have the work done by men who are ac-
cust0Ined TO it, or a { least good climbers.
s'he first successful work OF its kind was
probably that done by Prof John B. Smith.
ON the campus OF Rutgers College He had
strong barrel pump, and carried the
nozzle at the end of a hong rubber tube
with a bsmboo extension pole I'D into the
center OF the trees by climbing a Ladder
to the main crotch. From this point the
spray was thrown in all directions, and
the tree thoroughly covered with the mix
ture in a minimum m Of time.
The Massaehu husetts Gypsy Moth Com
missisn in their earlier spraying work sent
their large tank carts through the streets,
stopping at each tree and sending one or
more men with their hose and extension
poles into it. thus covering hundreds of
large trees in single day. II steam
sprayers are used, and city fire engines
can be used to excellent advantage in
this way, the necessity for climbing the
trees may he largely avoided.
MI L. " HOWdfu. NJ o, tDc eDtOHOiO-
gist OF the Department OF Agriculture.
said in this regard, that by means of
multiple discharge hose, both sides OF
tree, or even OF two trees, may he sprayed
at once, and the extent of territory that
may be covered i'm a day is surprising.
The elm trees in a small park MAJ be
treated economically and without much
difficulty 10y two or three men with a
hanG-cart tank. This method has Ieen
adopted on the large grounds OF the De