Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-07-20
THE ELM TREE BEETLE.
Springfield Man Tells How to Eradi.
 cate the Pest.

Christopher Clark, city forester of North Hampton, Mass, writing in the Springfield Republican, gives the fol- lowing valuable hlnts relative to elm leaf beetle treatment:
 AS the worms and pupae of half formed elm-leaf beetles and worms are now coming down to the ground on the trunks of the trees they should be destroyed by simply spray ing them with boiling hot water, which instantly kills them and does least degree. This is best done with an ordinary garden watering pot, and costs next to nothing to apply, as every family can attend to the trees on private estates and the foresters or tree wardens on streets and parks, using barrels to convey the. water where 1t cannot be obtained at the houses as the truck is driven through the streets. The towns that have adopted this method not only protect the trees, but do it at the very least possible cost. Where people are ab- sent from their homes provisions should be made by the foresters and tree wardens to correspond with them and arrange to have this pri- vate work done at their expense be- fore 1t is too late. No scraping off of solid bark should be done, as it removes the trees winter protection and is positively of no use whatever, as the beetles fly, the worms crawl and the pupae or yellow half-formed beetles seem to have a sort of snail power to also get down to the ground In enormous numbers, and if not scalded to death are soon complete beetles, which live throughout the winter, and the next spring fly to the trees, feed upon the new foliage and deposit their eggs on the under side of the leaves, which soon hatch out and feed upon the leaves, the beetles dying soon after depositing their eggs. The spraying of the trees should therefore be done early in the month of May, and can be sprayed at by far the least possible cost with gasolene engine, l Ie or 2la horse power. placed on truck that carries the whole spraying object. The standard and best possible material for spraying Is the arsenate of lead Massachusetts state formula) five pounds to 50 gallons of water, which is harmless to the most delicate foli- age.
 One of the most important points wish to enforce in this paper is to prevent the absurd and positively useless expenditure of money when using a formula for killing the worms or yellow immature beetles with a mixture of kerosene and carbolic acid an unclean and dangerous and grass destroying mixture in the place of boiling hot water which is perfectly clean. safe, more effective and which everybody can use or supply without cost, daily while needed, which is only for a few days time. The per- son or persons who use or recommend this kerosene and carbolie acid mix ture should be prevented as soon as they can be reached. as it is putting cities. towns and private citizens to an excessive cost and the handling of a dangerous mixture to put tOgeth- CT. with no gain whatever in the work Of destroying the beetles over boiling hot water. and a positive loss of time. SO valuable for immediate work. As the oldest and most ex- perienced forester in this state. and about the first in the use cmfwyp about the first in using the spraying engine and hot water in destroying the .elm-leaf beetles. have learned about this matter from actual work. on both fruit and elm trees. and write this article to prevent. if pos sible the vast Of good money in ex- travaEant, useless and unintelligent methods which l positively know are unworthy tn be adonfed.