Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1910-08-18
CITY ROUTS MOTHS
Chicago Forester Urges Citizens
to act Individually.
Trees and Foliage in Many Par1 Of
City May he Destroyed Unless I'm
mediate Steps Taken to
Destroy Insects

Chicago.-Trees and foliage in many
parts of Chicago may be destroyed by
tie tussock moth unless citizens them
selyes. take steps to exterminate the
pest. his situation became clear the
other day when Milton ]. Foreman,
member OF the finance committee OF
the city council. said that, although he
was wiling to urge an appropriation
at the special council meeting to assist
Cit- Forester FROST in his fight against
the pest, he doubted whether such an
appropriation could be made legally.
Meanwhile, the moths are busily at
lacking the trees. The hot, dry wealth
er this year has developed second
brood of them The most effective
time for destroying these is when the
larvae are on the foliage, which will
be IN two weeks or two weeks and a
half. Then spraying with arsenate of
lead will kill 80 per cent. of the Sec
ond brood. Spraying before or after
that time would be of little use, COM
paratively, according to City Forester
FROST
Il should be willing to urge an ap-
preparation for exterminating the
moths" said Mr.. Foreman, "but I
think such an appropriation would be
Illegal
You see, as l recall it, the statute
provides no appropriations must be
made by the city council except in the
case of an emergency. This cannot be
called an emergency legally because
the trees do not belong to the city.
If man appeared to spray a citi-
zen's trees, the latter might well ask
him by what right he did it. If he
has the right to spray a tree, why
might he not have the right to walk
into the back yard of your house and
spray your carrots?"
In pointing out the depredations Of
the tussock moth Mr. FROST indicated
that the city might have the right to
spray the trees on the ground that the
moths had become a nuisance and
threatened public health
In north state near Delaware
place. said he, the moths are so
thick that they are getting into the
houses. Such a condition cannot be
healthful.
The moths especially attack the
high-grade trees--the lindens, the will
lows and the Carolina poplars. The
time to do the spraying is when 1t will
do the most good. This will be when
the larvae of the second brood will
be caught on the foliage.
This department has had but a
small appropriation, and that has
been for trimming the trees. Even
then we have no wagon to carry lad
ders and necessary tools to the place
where the work is to be carried on.
We have no means of getting around
except on the street cars. | have
asked for an auto truck to carry our
ladders and pruning tools.
I'VE have accomplished a great
deal, but we have very little money
for our work. | have received hun
dreds of letters in regard to the moths,
but | am practically helpless. It
would take a great deal of money
$4,000 at the outside-to do the work
effectively.
"A spraying outfit costs about S4O0.
The material for spraying would cost
$500 or $500 more for each outfit.
In Boston they have twelve spray
ing outfits throughout the city. In
other cities in the east the work is
carried on effectively There the
gypsy moth, or some other variety, is
producing the same havoc among the
trees that the tussock moth is in this
city,