The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1925-07-09


Washington's yearly caterpillar
plague is now at its height and
rough estimate might be that five
billion caterpillars are busily and
happily engaged in chewing and
webbing up q large part Of the
los, 900 shade trees that 60 to make
up 500 rSilea of beautiful, shady
and green vista of the Capital City.
Climate Suits Them
The miserable, squirmy, fuzzy
wuzzies demand dry and hot
weather in which to eat, work and
multiply, and so far this summer
they have had climatic conditions
quite to their taste.
Mr.. Lanham, trying to keep
everybody and everything, except
caterpillars, happy and heartened,
has had his department working
time, time and q half and ovsr-
time. But his lot in life is not a
happy one. First he gets an
S o. s. CALL. This means; spray
our saplings," and he rushes his
poison squad to the street fndicat'
ed. The spraying fluid, which Is
q stomach poison, and must be
eaten by the worms In order to In
duce dissolution, is lebarlIy squirted
on the trees and incidentally on
parked cars under the trees.
A little later an enraSed car
owner, finding his automobile spot.
tily ,white-washed, goes for Mr.. Lam
hams office either by feet, phons
or flivver.
"What in the name Of blankety'
blank does this department mean by
running my automobile? Yes! ruin.
'ng it. sir! I'll sue you'll I'll sue the
District! I'll sue everybody! The
car IL ruined, sir ruined!
Stereotyped Answer.
Superintendent I4apham's answer
Ii stereotyped ana so monotonous
that he Is undecided whether to
print or broadcast II.
1.-THE spray used in spraying city
trees IL harmless TO everyone and
everything except caterpulars. II
contains no lime or acid. ana will
not scar or eat away the epidarlnic
Of man, beast, or flivver. Wash your
car and the white spots will disap.
pear promptly. We are sorry to
cause you even the annoyance OF
bathing your animated top buggy,
but trees must be sprayed ana
saved, and 1t is humanity impossible
TO move or cause to be moved every
parked automobile, thank yoa.
The supposed sycamore blight,
Of which there has been much COM
plant, is no blight at all. A late
frost nippAd the too-preVious shoots
and turned the tender green leaves
black and brittle. These will fall off
In the autumn and next summer,
earring another late frost, the trees
viii be green and not spot the
present Basque effsct-black'Gnd.
green pattern.
City M pies have been hard nit
by maple wilt, q sapSgood fungus.
A steady fight Is being waged
against spread Of the wilt by de.
infected limbs and
branches with carefully sterilized
saws and by burning the deleted
and diseased portions promptly.
Hedges Hard Hit.
Federal and city tree authorities
have been bombArded with inquiries
about a blight now rampant amid
hedges and ornamental shrubbery:
Cedar trees Of all variattes espe.
cially are hard hit. The large and
trees on the grounds
at Harry Wardman's home are
hopeless masses of blackened and
charred foliage. The
ornamental shrubs about
the Pink Palace" in the $500
block OF Sixteenth street. have sue.
cumbed to the blight and hedges
and shrubs all over town are hope.
lessly afflicted.
Flippo Gravatt, tree expert for
the Department of Agriculture, is
for the statement that
cedar blight is so general that nIany
specializing in cedar. var
ieies have been forced out Of bust
mes until the Government or other
agencies find the cause OF the
tree-sickness.