The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1900-08-22
|RITF DEATH TO TREES.
], WORM WORKING HAVOC
IN THE pINERiEs'
ID,,dlv Operation Has Been
+ 90 the Attention of OF
.,. in Washington.

ficlaiS III
,.oors of effort and constant
FER the general land Office
me- s its field officers, has taken up
. :sa.a ..s stamped OUT to great
the depredators which worked
h 5eyastation in the great loreS'
the west. By strict regula-
W. " human depredator was sup
y, ,l' if not exterminated, and by an
su' force of forest officials the
low ,sodator has been held in check
w snsoe wrought by this element
|bpep reduced to the minimum,
now comes a new depredator'
has lust been called to the at
1 :, Of the land office. 1t is the in
II worm depredator that is max,
Eraat inroads into the forests OF
%BLCu'
"A nakota and laying waste great
i # valuable timber. This worm
~ arrival and little is known OF
Il e. rho first time the officials IN
a acton lr were informed of his pres
v md his deadly operations was out
n, ' weeks ago, and since then they
q been studying his anatomy and
HsLovs' in the hopes OF at least CIV
ny aT' q name and a classification.
tbe nresent time there are at least
4 to ,ur in the Spearfsh river
.Eicf Of the Black Hills forest re-
i rbich have been visited by this
4 and fnlly 50 per cent. of the trees
4 t I area have been killed and
of those remaining have been in
h and will die. Foresters in that
I'm have become greatly alarmed at
EGpadIy work of the unknown depre-
Tbey say he began his opera
4 west and southwest of DeadwoOd,
y Is now moving in a southeasterly
8ction. with no signs of stopping,
NH feared that if the advance can
he checked in some way a great
d Of one of the finest pine forests in
country will be destroyed.
Ion what little information Is OBJ
Bsble, it is supposed that this worm
.ks from an egg deposited by some
Bies of bark beetle. The egg is de-
ted under the bark and there
8Ebes. The resulting worm is a COM
Il white worm, sometimes an inch
In inch and quarter in length,
he throughout, except its head, a
hit shiny brown. He seems 20 pos.
b marvellous vitality, as shown by a
& pie that was sent to Washington.
missioner Hermann of the general
s. Office now has on his desk a phial,
d billy cOrked containing one OF the
Der worms. This worm was placed
he bottle and corked up nearly two
Z lths ago and since then has had
ther air nor nOurishment, except
Il slbly such airas would leak through
ordinary cork, and today the wol m
live and more active than when he
reached Washington.
anp.eS Of pine from the Spearfish
trct we're submitted with the worm
NhOE the effect of his bite. 1t seems
4 when he attains the requisite
Rngth he sets out to bore around the
under the bark, apparently living
#he sap.
n is his bite that is fatal, for wher-
4 ne eats his way he leaves a trail
Nnd which soon discolors the wood,
'Qlsc0loratiOn working clear to the
n Of the tree. Wood which is nor
" white turns a steel gray and
all Its sap and strength. 1t is at
/ rendered understandable by dis
2ratlon and loss of strength, One
" IN time will kill a tree, but it is
fraIly found that each dead tree
us army of little white pests.
EnOtherremarkable feature connect
l'A InlS depredatOr is that he may
II a Tree and poison it completely
leC ms presence will not be known
months He is only detected by
us' through the bark, which occur
kVqueht intervals, and these are
only on close inspection. Out
|u[y, Ine tree remains unchanged
/ Ioug time, the first sign of de-
It.Ion being the discoloration of the
I'll h winch gradually assumes a
| T. ov y! appearance, not easily de-
| vi AZ nfSt' but yet peculiarly dis
|,.e, lnasmuch as it is not the same
Tls Inat accompanies the natural
n doa VI the tree. After the foliage
|s aSauened the tree stands, weak and
/ o't t, until wind strikes it, and
no ,'om sheer lack of strength, it
F wisb o 0 The poisoned pine can
H. 5'SSn o even a light wind, 80
Epn uds Its strength been impaired.
! \, tn Hermann, in speaking
IN 'UDGLrrtoledepredator, said: "That
/ nn sn S it may be, is one of
tS, t dangerous destroyers of for
NJ ~. 49, nas ever come to the atten.
i ans WIS office. Our knowledge of
is beoiGlueoly meager, but every eff
lug made to learn more"