Martinsburg statesman-democrat. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1906-1921, 1910-03-11
A Grand Automobile Ride.

hhtStiuk vi tuc JSuSIsoH COuuty uoitt-
cultural meeting which was held at
CharIestown Jan. 18th. This was an
all day meeting Of more than ordinary
Interest. talked in the forenoon and
Mr.. II. l.. Smith gave them 4 very
good Horticultural speech in the after
noon A good many of the fruit grow
ers of Jefferson county had read the
warning given few weeks ago by our
vigilant and ever watshful President
OF the West Virginia Horticultural
Society Hon. John J. CornwelD con-
cerning the Rrowntail and Gypsy meth
Several Of the fruit growers at the
meeting asked me to tell them what
knew and had seen of these dreaded in
sects but owing to rush OF business be-
fore the meeting there was not suffi-
cient time, 50 l thought it might be
well to write up what little knew and
had seen of this pest while on my visit
to England, and perhaps the editor of
the West Virginia Farmer and Grange
advocate would allo " 1t to come be.
fore the fruit growers of West Virginia
through the columns of this excellent
Journal. 1t was my good fortune to
attend the New England fruit show at
Boston last fall. took with me som e
of West Virg!nia's finest apples and
as proof that West Virginia did not
have to play second fiddle, refer you
to Mr.. Orlando Harrison who after
carefully looking over the exhibits
made the statement that the box of
Northwestern Greening from West
Virginia was the finest box in the hall,
and the Ben DAVIS apples which |
took from the orchard of DR.. q. w.
Daniels, of Gera rdstown, were OF act
ual weight and measurement the
largest and finest Ben Davis of the
whole exhibit. On Wednesday night
If the meeting while talking to a lit
tie crowd of fruit growers who had
gathered round our little exhibit,
we'll dressed, fine looking gentleman
gave me his address and asked me to
come down to his Office at 10 o'clock
the next morning which 1 did. |
found this generally to be Mr.. Rogers
who has charge of the United States
warfare against the Browntail and
GYPSY moths He has the care of the
parks, boulevards, and highways in
and around the cities and those lead
ing to the magnificent estates of the
New England miliionaires.
After brief conversation he asked
me If would like to spend the day
In the study of these insects as he
wanted to go over the field near Bos-
ton that day where he had 400 men at
work. OF course 1 jumped at the op-
portunity. | was i'll company with
Mr.. q. r. Cushman of the Thomsen
Chemical Co., of Baltimore (who by
the way furnished most of the arse
nate of lead used by Uncle Sam in
spraying these public parks and high
ways for the season of 1909 MIR.
Rogers ordered his fine automobile and
we were SOON off for 95 mile ride that
L told him when we returned at mig hit
you'd do me good as long as L live d.
Our first stop was the city of Cam
bridge, Mass. Here was the home of
the poet LongfeIlow, also the great
iarvard University. This city has
been known for over century as the
city having the most, as well as the
most beautiful elm trees of any city in
the world. The streets of this lovely
city have been for years arched over by
these giant elms. Here / received nay
first shock. When asked to lsok
down one of these streets whichs were
the city of Cambridge alone, we saw a
wilderness of dead, and rotten and
broken trees. We were told thatsin all,
there were over over 600 dead elm trees,
which had ornamented that city for
from $50 TO 200 years, and thatithe city
had not only lost these beautiful and
historic LANDMARKS, but the falling
limbs and debris had become danger
GUS, SO these trees had to be taken out
and the broken places ins the pave
ments repaired which; would cost in
the neighborhood of million dollars.
This awful havoc which made my
heart sink within me,lwas the work of
the brown tail moth and the gypsy
moth in less than three years time.
No one no loves tree like any.o the
sons of the old VIM. ). Milleri do,
could, look upon a scene like thi s
without feeling sad for what has bee n
done in the past, and alsoit with re
solve to put fight for theifuture.
When we left Cambridge; we travel
ed over the North Shore road whic h
took us by the estates of the mul IT,