The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-07-26
Parks Commission to
Wage War Against
the Insect.
THE WORK NAY COST A FORTUNE
Two Gangs VIII Begin
Operations in Elm
Park Today.

IL may cost worcester upward OIL
100000 to MD itself of the elm leaf bee
tie.
1T has cost Washington and Boston
more than that, and still the pest is
very much in evidence.
1T isaa case of contiguous warfare if
the city wishes to preserve its elm
trees, was the statement of A. H
Kirkland of the Massachusetts gypsy
moth commission, made to The Spy
man Yesterday afternoon.
Judging from the cost of fighting this
insect in other cities, Mr.. kirkland es-
Inmates that Worcester should put out
about 5000 this year and $4,000 next year
in prder&to cope with the insect sue
cessfully. From his observation, it is
necessary to keep UP steady fight
against the insect for several years be-
fore thare Is any opportunity for relax
alton OF vigilance.
Mr.. kirkland is recognized as one Of
the best authorities In the state on
this question. He came to Worcester
Monday night and started out yester-
day in company with James Draper Of
the parks commission, to look over the
condition of affairs. 1t had been
thought that trees on the west side of
Suc lily were the OILY ONES dnecleu,
but Mr.. kirkland discovered consider
able evidence that the beetles are at
work on the common in elms whose TO-
liage has given no evidence as yet Of
the ravages Of the little pest.
FL. Smith, chemist for the gypsy
moth commission, is in Worcester and
will superintend the crusade of the
parks commission against the beetles.
Wofk will begin today, It the weather
M wi
sent out under direction of Mr.. Smith.
Each will be provided with a 10O-gallon
tank of emulsion Of kerosene, which
consists of a mixture of kerosene and
soap suds. Haoh of these tanks has two
lines of small hose running from 1t,
and is provided with the necessary
force pump and mixing apparatus. One
man will have charge of the tank, while
two other men will be given charge OF
the spraying apparatus attached to the
ends of the hose. Not only will the
trunks Of trees and lower branches be
drenched, but the ground about the
trunks as well.
BY this system it is hoped to kill at
least 50 per cent of the pupoe, although
the 20 per cent remaining will, of
course, furnish q good start for the
next season, as each beetle lays from
300 to 500 eggs. Another effectual
means of warfare agafnst the pest is
to spray the leaves of trees with an ar
senical solution which poisons the
slugs when they begin eating. Whether
thtre will be two broods here this sea-
son, remains to be seen. The first
brood of beetles, which are those left
Dver from the previous season, mate
and deposit their eggs about the middle
Of May or first of June The larvae
Of small slug, which does the eating,
becomes fully developed about the mid
!, die OF july and descends the trunk
pr the tree. 1t finds a resting place
IN the chinks Of the bark or falls to
the ground, where 1t changes into the
Pupae state, and in about a week be-
Jones a full-fledged beetle After de-
posting its eggs, the beetles race lis
fup, ard it dies, while the work of re-
proauction from the egg goes on.
Mr.. kirkland says that these beetles
frst made their appearance in Balti-
nore as early as 1889, when they were
thought to have sprung from imported
European shrubbary which was set out
p that city. The insect was next heard
from in Washington, D. c., and later
4 IN New York. In 1896 the beetles made
heir appearance in Springfield, where
constant war has been waged against
Them for the past four years. The in
tects seem to follow the waterways,
Ind were first noticed along the Con-
anu .sI1OuSdlOHlC. Valleys, Ill
though Of late they have spread
throughout Massachusetts, as far north
rs the New Hampshire line.
The insects seem to follow the princi-
pal lines of railroads. A swarm OF
them might alight in a freight car and
be carried along to some city where tho
car was switched off, and the beetles
would CONS out to begin work in new
field
1t is estimated that if left to them
selves the beetles will kill a tree ir
about three years. In places where
there are more than one brood, a sec
ond crop OF leaves barely makes it's ap-
pearance before the second brood is ou
and commences work on them The
work of determination will be taken III
this morning on the west side of tbs
city In the fleighborhood of Elm parl
and continued throughout the city
where there is evidence Of the beetles
work.
The park commission will look after
the trees owned by the city only, bu
desires to eau attention of residents O.
the city having elm trees on their prop
erty, to the fact that it would be WIS;
to take the same measures with theil
trees, or the work of the commissioners
viii amount to little
W. H. Willard called at the office O
the parks commissioners yesterda,
morning and. warned them against us
ing kerosene, as II was his e1periene,
that this mixture killed trees.