New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-07-03
.ENTOMOLOC|ST IS BUSY
Or. SouthWick Says Destructive
Fungi Are in the Park.
TREES ARE TURNING BROWN
Small Number of Employees Han
dicaps Department in Elk
termination Work.

.,.,, ,bere arc Two thousand kih"s
NJ noxious insects preying on the
this CITY II Is not because OF the" ~
chief that many of the finest trees III Nv'-
trail Park are turning brown. Ut jon
soutbw,ck. entomoogist of the PARK D
nartment said yesterday that most u.
.,ructivc fungus had become appaseh, ~
,ha ,.st two or three years and that tms
suumsr Il was making rapid progress
This week the entomologist expectS ~"
second crop OF caterpilIars to make i'S
annearance and the second crop, ne saSS'
will in all likelihood be one far aoo'e ~
average. ..,,
To meet such conditions Or SouthWIcn'
who i'm his own words Is no young le'
low" Ia walking twenty miles u"S
through the streets and I'm the parks III
search Of tho nests of the destructive DUES
I'm an endeavor to find the trees "here '"'
fungus Is doing its deadly work he mas
only four spraying machines ana ''"i''''
number Of men under him. In brooh'''
there are twice the number OF spraying ma
obines and more than three times the NUM-
her of men working under the entomolos's'
there. In that borough they use sew"
thousand DOun0S Oh ~ S'ii"''
wear. according to Or. Southwick. whi'e ~
ia having hard time trying TO get wv
thousand pounds for this borough
81 think there will be a large secono cro'
of caterpllarst this month" continued Inv
entomologist. land I am doing all ca"
with my limited equipment to meet the
invaders So far we have been lucky lo'
the first crop was small one.
DR.. Southwick has not found seventeen
wear locust i'm any park or street tree
l"Thev did not come on Manhattan lslahu
at all" he said.
The dreaded gypsy moth. which last sum
mer came as far AS New Rochelle. where
il was stamped ont by the entomolosists OF
the State Agricultural Department mas ho'
as vet shown Itself in New York. accord
ing 10 Dr. Southwick. but he has his eyes
open for fear II will
.,Tbere are numerous ways for II to reach
this city" he said but the principal one
is nv automobile Many persons touring
through the infested sections Of New Eng
land could easily bring them to the parks
OF New York Just by passing under the
infested trees. The moths could drop into
the machines and be carried to this city
very easily. They may reach here some
day. but not one Of them has been seen
so far"
on Saturday the spraying machines were
busy on Riverside Drive. During the week
the sprays were used on some Of the large
trees around tho Mall. Last year many
persons stayed away from the orchestra
concerts there because of the annoyance OF
having caterpilars dropping down their
necks and on top of their hats. Or. South
wick hopes 10 prevent It this summer
Because Of the decrease in the laborins
force the entomologfst has been deprived OF
the man who helped him with his small
garden i'm the park at 18th street. II was
his experiment station, but with his twenty
miles Of walking a day he has not been
able TO attend to the garden himself. so II
has been neglected and the experiments
have had to go by the board
Another destructive element in Central
Park Is the boy who peels the bark from
the birch trees and cuts up the Wild cherry
trees. In many sections Of the park In the
last few days Or. Southwick has discov-
cred wild cherry and birch trees badly
damaged through the free use of pocket
knives by irresponsible persons.
The tLssock moth, which is the caterpillar
expected to cause the trouble in July. IS a
regular resident Of this section OF the
country. according 10 Or. Southwick. who
added that many Of the two thousand other
pests were imported.