Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-08-31
INJURING SHADE TREES
WORK OF THE CATERPILLAR IN
THE CITY.
What Must Be Done to Prevent the De-
struction Of Naples, Elms
and 2irches.

According to the entomologists of the
Department Of Agriculture 1.-THE white
tHssock moth is responsible for the large
quantities of falling leaves which have
been the pest of housewives this summer
This insect attacks almost every variety
of shade tree, but prefers naples, elms
alders and birches This accounts for the
almost entire defoliation of hundreds of
maple trees throughout the city On
many streets the leaves have been eaten
by the eaterpillars to such an extent the
trees resemble lacework. The popular
notion of what is destructive to these in
sects is not proved correct by the wise
men Of the Department of Agriculture
who spend their lives watching the antics
of these and other pests. Many people
water the trees in front of their homes
Others, thinking that the caterpillars
approach the trees from the ground, bind
their trees with cotton. Recently the
parking commission sent around men
with blow pipes such as plumbers use
operated by: compressed air, which threw
out a flame of gasoline. The eggs Of the
moth were burned and their disappear
ance was expected. This treatment the
Department Of Agriculture condemns as
being Injurious to the trees. There is but
one effective way to rid the city of the
pests, which in the caterpillar stage dron
off, generally landing down ones collar
or on the dress of the timid of the fair
sex. Before outlining this treatment the
insect should be described for the en-
1ghtenment of those who are irving tn
abolish them.
The Stages of Evolution.
There are three stages in the evolution
OF the moth. First the female moth lays
the eggs upon the trees during the fall COW
efins them with white gummy substance
winch toughens and protects them These
eggs are Matched in April and Nav and
change their skin five times. At this stage
they are caterpillars. They feed upon the
under surface of the leaves eating them
until all that is left are the stems ana
veins, In roaming about the trees the
greedy caterp1llars will eat off the stems
OF leaves, causing them to fall to the
ground. After the caterpillars have had
their MI OF the leaves during the summer
in ran comes again they spin themselves
INTO cocoon In due course the male
caterpillar energies from his little house
WIN wings, and as d moth is free to fly at
VIII. Not so with the female She has
been badly treated in her evolution. When
she energies from the cocoon she is with
out wings. She must crawl about the trees
laying eggs. After she has laid her eees
nature puts her to death, and she drons
down to the ground on her siIken thread
attached to the cocoon. AS the female has
no wings and as she is responsible for the
eggs which hatch out future caterpillars
ana as she is porn and dies in the trees
neither cotton nor water will keep her ont
Most people believe the caterniliar crawIs
to the trees from some secret place on the
ground. 1t will be seem ACCORDING To tho
e emu. OF the government, that the
viosuly an egg herself, already in the tree.
Remedy for the Evil.
Now. as to the remedy for the evil the
department bugologlsts announce several
at the same time stating with much en-
phasis that the beautiful trees of the citv
Will be doomed unless the good citizens CO.
operate with the government to stamp out
the pest. once the leaves are attacked by
the young and hungry caterpillar their vi
tally Is gone and the leaf dies In time
the tree itself will be injured
The tree should be treated with creosote
OIL, which can he applied to the eggs by
means of a Gponge attached to a sticL
With the sponge saturated in creosote oil
and applied to the easily distinpuishahle
eggs the result will prove Destructive to
the propagation of the caterpillar. once
assured. and not till then, that the tree is
rid of the eggs, cotton maybe bound about
the tree to prevent the ascent of caternillars
which may have fallen from infested tres
not already treated. 1t is advised also that
the trees be sprayed with an arsenical soiu-
ton.
The Department of Agriculture noints ont
that spasmodic attempts to wipe ont the
pest will not prove successful, as the trees
In the city are enormous in number and
any attempt to visit each tree by tho local
government would have to be conducted an
a large and expensive scale. Therefore the
entomologists insist that all good citizens
who bask in the kindly shade of the nanIas
elms and other trees who desire to continme
to do SO when the mercury flies i1nu,arS
should single out their trees and begin
operations against the white tussork moth
and her nefarious work.