The Iola register., 1902-07-25
Are Our Shade Tree, worth Savings
Osead before The Allen County yHorti cultural
Society July II, i902)


Caead before The Allen County Horticultural
Society July H. 1902
The President of the Allen County
Horticural Society, H. Klaumann, has
decreed that the penalty inflicted upon
the Society Reporter for missing two
consecutive meetings be the writing OF
( an article on trees, and the fact that
so many of our shade trees are dying
suggests the Caption OF this article.
(Therefore, Mr.. Editor, II you will
grant a little space in your journal
desire to sound the tocsin of a arm
because so many OF our fine shade
trees, as we'll as fruit trees, upon
which so much valuable time and
money has been bestowed have sue
cumbed to the ravages of what in
common phraseology is known as the
! borers.
There are several distinct species of
the little pests; for instance, the Ae-
geria or peach tree borer, which oper-
ates in the root of the peach tree, and
the Saperda Bivettata or apple tree
borer, which bores its way into the
body of the apple tree, and the Clystus
Pietus. which preys on forest and
shade trees.
These miserable pests have, from
time immemorial been destroying
! both fruit and shade trees in the older
sections of the country both east and
south, and they are slowly, bu: none
the less surely, invading our or
chards and parks in this highly
favored part Of the moral vineyard,
and indeed so stealthy is their APP
proach that they even invade our very
door yards and destroy our fruit and
shade trees before we are even aware
Of their presence.
For fear that this article may be-
come too long and tedious shall con-
fine myself particularly to one variety
of shade trees upon which their in
cursions are most noticeable, although
they are no respectors OF varieties,
yet they seem to be partial to our fin
est and most thrifty elms. During
the last decade many fine elms vary
ing in size from few inches to per-
haps foot or more in diameter have
died in this city, and the owners won
der why Echo answers why. That
we will be compelled to fight the pests
or gradually lose our trees, is al
axiom and needs no argument because
our trees are dying. not in any parti
eular locality, but all over town. True
it is, that the ravages OF the borers
during the last few years, seem to bt
worse within a few blocks around tht
square and many fine elms have dice
in the territory designated above
Many others have been saved by th'
timely application of the proper
remedy. just now the most seriousl!
affected spot in town is the city park
Some half dozen or more of the yer.
finest elms in the park are now deaf
as Hector and so many others ar,
affected that if a proper remedy is no
speedily applied, the Oldest inhabit
ant in town barring accidents will
live to see our beautiful city par
about as thoroughly denuded OF elm
as q bald headed sinner is of th
hirsute appendage. Methinks l hea
some one ask what the remedy is.
Is simply the proper application O
sulphur. The proper way TO apply tn
sulphur is to bore the tree fully int
,tn
inch auger or bit, fill the hole full |,
the very edge Of sulphur, plug up tn
hole, and the job is done, Natur
will do the rest by distributing tn
sulphur through the sap. If the wor
is improperly done the object or desiP
may be defeated, therefore, do nc
drive the plug into the hole and fore
the sulphur back from the bark wheI
the sap will not readily incorporat
itself with the sulphur and diffuse
through the tree. This remedy ha
been used many years and has nevt
been known to fail to destroy IL
borers and save the trees, when dor
in time. BY permission | quo
George A. Bowlus (Horticulturist)
corroborate or emphasize my stat
ment. One of the fine large elms {
his lawn, few years ago was shoN
ing unmistakable signs of prematu
decay !. in short, was dying. He Gale
me TO diagnose the case, asked VIII
was the cause. Borers we're found
work on it, He asked if anythiI
could be done to save the tree.
was informed that sulphur would p
a ouietus to the borers and save t
tree, Notwithstanding dead limbs we
already largely in evidence on t
tree. He said; .'Get barrel OF sui
hnr, il that viii save it, for hundr
atqas ,,o,,TAn,t huY the tree - q