Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-05-09
TREES AND INSECTS.

OulA A. 1IOAAl, LLOc WdIuSus says HI the Bridgeport Standard: I think it would be neglect of my duty, if let the season pass without sounding a warning to all those who appreciate our elm trees. While under other cir cumstances, watch and pray" may be appropriate, in reference to the trees it is more to the point to "watch and spray"
 I regard myself bound to call your attention to the fact, that the elm tree beetle generally appears in this month, and that from the end of this month, to the end of August we are at no time safe from its attacks. Other insects may join company, I have a few to mention later on, and between seven or eight lively varieties of insects, the woodman's life is made one continual picnic from June the first to Septem- Der the first.
 If the public will give some aid if they will have elm trees on their pri- vate ground sprayed there is no doubt that this office and the tree lover may work together to protect and maintain when possible, the trees of our city. Do not permit indiscriminate cutting of branches on the trees, no linemen, either traction, telegraph or telephone companies have the right to cut, even only dire necessity will get that.
 Destructive insects may appear this spring, and concerted action will be necessary: It is of small use if spray two or three trees in front of your property when you allow the insects to breed and multiply on eight or nine trees on your private ground. If your trees are troubled in any way and you cannot make out what is the reason, don't hesitate to call on me, if the evil is beyond my comprehension, it cer- tainly can't make it any worse calling on me, and there is always the possi- bility that may know what is what. Don't scrape your trees, the practice is worse than useless, it is dangerous to the well-being of the tree. Don't whitewash trees on your property. Peo- pie passing after dark may mistake it for cemetery and inquire the price of lots
 You may use seventy-five cents worth of whitewash and pay a man a dollar to put it on, and when you have it all nicely done, you have damaged your tree about three dollars worth, and the benefit will be about one-tenth of mill, and you can't stand that if you have many trees, except you are the happy possessor of diamond mine in good working order or an anthracite coal yard, with a coal strike in full l swing. It is perfectly ridiculous to see people bela laboring the trunk of a tree, when we know for a fact, that insects dangerous to tree life, never l use the trunk for shelter; but hiber- nate either in crysa1lis state in the ground or fence corners, under clap boarding or in garrets, or in egg state on the twigs and branches of the 1 tree.
 Remember, we have many parasites, who are our best friends in our battle against grr1bs and larvaes and they to- gether with different varieties of l spiders, generally hibernate in egg state, in the rough crevices of the bark 1 on the tree.
 Every time you scrape a tree every time you whitewash q tree, every time you soak tree, you do so to your own sorrow. The grubs and worms con- graduate themselves on your short sightedness, they know well, if you don't, that your scraping and soaping and washing tends to make life a per- petua1 picnic for them, during their stay upon your premises.
 While everybody knows many insects injurious to their little garden patch the insects attaching fruit and shade trees, are compara lively unknown by a large majority of our citizens. ana only when their ravages denude oul shade trees, the general public notice their existence and wonder what it is causing the defoliation. And ever among people taking an interest in the preservation of our shade trees, many find it hard to decide what insect 1T particular is responsible for the dam
 age done. There is first the elm tree
 beetle, one of the most undesirable emi grants from Europe, the work of this in
 sect has been so industrious that w could not miss noticing him. The i'm
 ported leopard moth, first noticed il
 New York is now spreading and max
 pay US a visit. The carpenter mott
 does great damage to oak and hart
 maple. The tent caterpillar is not st
 destructive of late, but must be watch
 ed, because one nest left undisturbe(
 this summer, may be productive of 15(
 to POO next season. Another importa
 tion, the willow bug, does considerable
 damage to willow and poplar trees il
 city parks. The bag worm does dam
 age to park trees, and is found both or deciduous and eoniferous trees The
 tussock moth, the handmaid moth ant
 others damage both fruit and shade
 trees, and are among the possibilities
 for the coming season.
 Use London purple for spraying. Fol
 shade trees, use one-half pound to one
 barrel GA gallons) of water. Apple
 trees, one pound to 15O gallons. Pear
 plum and cherry, one pound to 200
 gallons, and peach one pound to 2O(
 gallons. Do not, however, use l.. P
 without first inquiring how to use f
 from someone who knows; not prete HG
 "to know.'