Report on Investigations to Determine the Cause of Unhealthy Conditions of the Spruce and Pine from 1880-1893 A
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West Virginia Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources Station Bulletins And Design 1-1-1899 Report on investigations to determine the cause of unhealthy conditions of the spruce and pine from 1880-1893 A. D. Hopkins Follow this and additional works at: https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/ wv_agricultural_and_forestry_experiment_station_bulletins Digital Commons Citation Hopkins, A. D., "Report on investigations to determine the cause of unhealthy conditions of the spruce and pine from 1880-1893" (1899). West Virginia Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station Bulletins. 56. https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/wv_agricultural_and_forestry_experiment_station_bulletins/56 This Bulletin is brought to you for free and open access by the Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources And Design at The Research Repository @ WVU. It has been accepted for inclusion in West Virginia Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station Bulletins by an authorized administrator of The Research Repository @ WVU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Digitized by the Internet Arciiive in 2010 with funding from Lyrasis IVIembers and Sloan Foundation http://www.archive.org/details/reportoninvestig56hopk WEST VIRGINIA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. morgantown. w. va. Bulletin 56. April, 1899. REPORT ON INVESTIGATIONS TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF UNHEALTHY CONDI- TIONS OF THE SPRUCE AND PINE FROM I880-J893. By a. D. HOPKINS. THE REGENTS OF THE WEST VIRGINIAfUNIVERSITY. NAME OF REGENTS. P. O. ADDRESS. Hon. Geokge C. Sturgiss . - - - Morgantown Hon. James F. Brown - - - - - Charleston Hon. &.. H. Kunst ------- Weston Hon. Kichard Randolph McMahon - - Harper's Ferry Hon. James M. Lee ------ Lewisburg Hon. James L. Hamill - - - - - - Welch Hon. John A. Campbell - - - New Cumberland Hon. W. E. Powell - ... - Farkersbnrg Hon. F. O. Eastman - -~ - - - Ft. Pleasant STATION COMMITTEE. George C. Sturgiss. James L. Hamill. James F. Brown. - President Regents . Geo. 0. Sturgiss. President University- Jerome H. Raymond, A. M.,Fh. D. Treasurer A. R. Whitehill, Ph. D. Auditor - ^ - - S. tj. Chadwick. STATION STAFF. James H. Stewart, A. M., - Director and Agriculturist A. D. Hopkins, Ph. D, - Vice Director and Entomologist Bert H. Hite, M. S. - - - - - - Chemist L. C. Cokbett, M. S. ----- Horticulturist W. E. RuMSEY, B. S. Agr. - - Assistant Entomologist T. F. Watson, B. S. - - - - Assistant Chemist Horace AtWOOD, M". S. - - - Assistant Agriculturist C. D. Howard, B. S. - - - ' - Assistant Chemist E. C. Frame, - - ^ Clerk and Stenographer M. A. Stewart, Librarian CONTENTS. PART I. THE SPRUCE INVESTIGATION. Page. Introductoey, . 197 Acknoioledgements, 198. List of published titles by the author, referring to work and results of the spruce and pine investigation, 200 The Spucb Inyestiga.tion, ..... 203 The S])riice, in West Virginia, 203. Common and technical names, 203. Description, 207. Distribution, 208. Some of the early dis- turbing influences, 211. Mountain pastures, 213. The original area greatly reduced, 215. Present conditions in the spruce area, 216. Probable future of the spruce area as indicated by present conditions, 221. Commercial influences in their relation to the future of the spruce area, 223. Agricultural influences, 225. The importance of perpetuating the forest resources of the area as a source of wealth to its inhabitants and the State, 226. Tlie rela- tion of entomological research to the preservation and perpetu- ation of forests, 229. Report on Investigations to determine the Cause op the Un- healthy CoijDiTiON OF the Spruce BETWEEN 1880 and 189 !, 230 Disturbing influences, 230. History and progress of dying spruce timber in the spruce area, 232. Cause of the first trouble, 235. Cause of the second trouble, 237. A circular letter to lumber companies, 238. Distributing the European bark-beetle destroy- er, 239. End of the trouble, 239. Rapid decay of dead spruce timber in one section of the spruce area, 239. Wood-peckers the principal enemy of the destructive sapwood borer, 242. Present condition as to insect enemies, 242. The Principle Insect Enemies of the Spruce in West Virginia, 244 Bark Miners, 244. The destructive pine bark beetle, 245. The destructive spruce bark beetle, 246. Le Conte's spruce bark bee- tle, 251. The cosmopolitan spruce bark beetle, 252. Eichhoff"s five-toothed pine bark beetle, 253. Say's pine bark beetle, 253. Flat headed spruce bark miners, 254. Round headed spruce bark miners, 255. Wood Miners, 255. Timber or ambrosia beetles, 256. The spruce timber beetle, 256. Round headed wood miners, 258. The des- tructive spruce wood miner, 259. Injury to terminal branches by the white pine weevil, 259. Injury to twigs by the spruce gall louse, 260. Principal Insect Friends of the Spruce, or enemies op the in- . sect Enemies, . 263 Predaceous beetles and their larvae, 2^2. The Clerids, 262. Ameri- can bark beetle destroyer, 262. Staphyliijids or rove-beetles and their larvae, 264. Histerid beetles, 265. Nitulid beetles, 265. Tenebrionid beetles, 266. Parasitic Enemies, ....,). 266 lehneumonid parasites, 266. Braconid parasites, 266. Chalcid parasites, 267. Trachinid parasites, 268. Diseases of Insect enemies op the Spruce, , . 268 Birds as friends of the spruce, ..... 269 Othee Beneficial Elements ..... 269 11 WEST VIRGINIA EXPERIMENT STATION. PART 11. THE PINE INVESTIGATION. The Pine of West Virginia, . .271 The white pine, 271. The yellow pine, 271. The pitch or black pine, 272. The scmb or Virginia pine, 273. The table-mountain pine, 273. The loblolly pine, 274. The red pine, 274. Commercial products of pine, ..... 276 Past and present conditions of pine in West Virginia, 276. Original distribution, 276. Present distribution and conditions, 277. In- fluences which have caused the destruction of the pine timber of the State, 278. The relation of the pine in amount and value to other kinds of forest trees, 280. Eate of consumption to that of natural increase, 281. Comparative value of second growth pine to that of other kinds of timber trees, 281. The principal enemies of the pine, ..... 281 History of the Investigation to Determine the Cause of the Unhealthy Condition op the Timber, . 282 First Observations, 283. Correspondence, 284. Special Investigations Commenced, .... 287 Character of trouble described, 287. Investigations to determine the cause of the trouble, 288. Trees dying from a disease, 2S8. Trees dying probably from natural causes, 288. A peculiar char- acter of the common trouble, 289. The cause of the common trou- ble discovered, 289. The Dying Pine Forests, (Quotation from article), 291. Further investigations, 292. Extract of article from Science, 293. The Consideration of Remedies, .... 294 The Importation of Xatural Enemies of Bark-beetles Considered, 295 The Pine and Spruce Threatened with Total Destruction, . 296 Special Correspondence to Ovmers of Spruce and White Pine Tim- ber in West Virginia, ...... 297 Correspondence loith Entomologists in G-ermang, . 300 ' Letter from Oberforster Eichhoff, . 300 Letter to Timber Correspondents, . ... 801 ' Amounts Contributed by doners of Timber, . 302 Letter of Instructions from the Director (John A. Myers,) . 302 Account of Mission to Europe, ..... 303 Investigations near Hagenau, 304. The desired beneficial insect found, 304. Return to Strassburg, 305. Investigations in Saxony, 306. Returned to Strassburg, through Bavaria and Baden-Baden, 307. Investigations continued near Hagenau, 308. Investigations in the Vosges mountains, 309. Great destruction of timber by snow and wind, 309. Observations on the habits of Clerus formi- carius, 311. Further work prevented by a cholera epidemic, 313. Letter from Director Myers, 314. Ten days in Switzerland, 315. Return to America, . 316 Stop at Washington, D. C. and Attend a Meeting of the Entomolo- gical Society, 317. Remarks at meeting of Entomological Society at Washington, (from Insect Life), 318. On the Introduction of the European Bark-beetle Destroyer, Clerus Formicarius to America, (Extract from article in Science by Camillo Schaufuss, translated from the German.) 319 CONTENTS. Ill First Imported Clerids Liberated in America. 320 Letter to Timber Companies, ..... 321 The Imported Specimens Stored for the Winter, . 822 An Effort to Secure Legislation with Reference to the Con- trol OF Forest Insbcts, ..... 33S Importance of having more entomological work done in the State, and the desirability of the Legislature making provisions for it, 328. No action taken hy the Legislature, 32.5. Letter to timber companies, 325. Imported Insects Distributed in 1893, .... 326 Methods of LocaMng Colonies of Imported Insects, . 326 The Carrying Out of the Primary Ob.jects of the Importation OE THK CLERID INTO -.MERICA PREVENTED BY THE DISAPPEARANCE OF THE DeSTUCTIVE PiNE BaRK BEETLE, 328. NUMBER OF EX- AMPLES OF THE ('le^id Collected, Imported and Destributed Between August 29. 1892, AND May 30, 1894, . 330 Tables showing distribution and amounts subscribed, 330. State- ment of expenditures, 330. Further Observations with Reference to Dying Pine, and the Destructive Bark Beetles, During the Summer and Fall of 1892, ......... 332 Alarming Character of the Trouble, no Further Doubt Begarding the cause, 335. Further observations on natural enemies, 336. Dying pine and spruce in Maryland and District of Columbia, 336. Ob- servations after returning from Europe, 337. No abatement of the trouble at the close of 1892, 338. Observations During the Spring, Summer and Fall