Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-03-16

A CAMPAIGN WORTH WHILE.


Perth Amboy has good reason to be
interested in the campaign of the
American Forestry Association look
ing to the preservation of the forests
of our community and an increase in
interest in trees generally. One has but
to look about him to see how rapidly
the handsome shade trees hat once
graced our streets and the city hall
park are disappearing. Already too
much time has been lost. But there is
still something that might be done.
1t is pretty generally believed that
the fumes from the industries of this
vicinity are to blame for the way the
trees are dying. This Is denied by n
who has made quite q study of plant
life. He maintains that the a OF
yhe tussock moth has moro TO do with
the killing of the trees than the
factory fumes. The tussock moth does
his damage In the form of a worm
shat gets in under the bark of 81 tree
and literally eats tho heart out OF it.
Look around the base of almost any
tree in the spring or summer and you
will find what looks liKo little piles of
sawdust. A careful examination or
the tree trunk will reveal a little hoe.
BY running q heirpin DR. knife blade
into the hole, nine times out of ten
q soft, white little worm an inch or
30 long will be brought out. That Is
the tussock moth.
At this time of year this little worm
Is to be found In his cocoon cllnglag
to the bough of the tree. Scores OF
these cocoons can be seen Oh almost
and tree by merely glancing up into
Ats naked branches.
The way to fight the tussock moth
Us TO destroy these cocoons before the
worm comes out and gets into the
tree to do its deadly work. And now
is the time to go after the cocoons
before the caves come out on the
trees hiding the cocoons from view.
We have a striking example of what
can be lone in fighting the tussock
right here In our own state. in
Trenton the public school children
have declared war on the moth n
are doing @ wonderful work in saving
the trees of that city from the pest.
The Trenton Times gives the follow
ang account of the school children's
activities:
Boys and girls of the public schools
OF the city are still continuing their
activities in the tussock moth cam
paign. and their last report shows
that during the month the boys and
girls have collected 1,2S4.S09 cocoons.
Last year the pupils collected 2,0oo,-
600 during the entire campaign, and
their total this year will far exceed
that"
1t has occurred to us that here is
an excellent opportunity for the boy
scouts of this city to perform a great
service. If the scouts would set out
TO collect all the tussock moth CO.
eoons they can find on the trees of the
city 1t would be a spring campaign
well worth while. There Is nothing
thai appeals to the scouts like the
great out of doors and what would the
great out of doors be like without
trees2 Anything, therefore, tina tends
to preserve the trees should appeal
most forcibly to the scouts.
A campaign against the tussock
moth would be something that would
directly benefit us right here In our
own city and at the same time 1t
would be cooperating with the
American Forestry Association in the
good work it Is doing for the protec-
ton of trees and the safeguarding OF
American forests.
YnrrN ~ nEN DpnJrCK