rincipal cause of the death of thousands of hickory trees. The
greatest infested area is in the northern part of New York City, in
Westchester County, in Queens and Nassau Counties, though much injury
has been observed throughout Suffolk County, particularly along the
northern shore of the island. The area of infested hickories is about
the same as the territory where the chestnut trees have succumbed to the
attacks of the chestnut bark disease. Now that the chestnuts have so
nearly disappeared and the fact that the hickory trees are also
threatened with entire extermination because of the hickory borer,
requests have been made by many citizens, that the Commissioner of
Agriculture should exercise such authority as the law gives him in the
control of this pest. That the hickory trees that have not been attacked
may be saved, or in a very large measure protected has been proven in
the Zoological Park and in the parks of Brooklyn. The able
superintendents of these two parks have for the last two or three years,
been cutting out every infested hickory tree and in that way the other
trees are found at this time to be free from insects and they have been
saved from certain destruction.

The hickory borer eats its way into the bark of the hickory trees in
mid-summer. Eggs are laid which hatch and the grubs feed in peculiar
galleries in the bark and between the wood and the bark is such a way as
to cut off the flow of the sap, thus causing the death of the trees.
These grubs are in these galleries at this time of the year and will
remain so until about the middle of June. It is, therefore, necessary
that the infested trees be cut and destroyed before that time in order
to prevent further widespread of the insects. The Commissioner has been
promised the hearty cooperation of many influential and interested
citizens in this movement and agents of this Department are on the
ground with authority to inspect trees to ascertain the limit of
infestation and they have been directed to mark such trees as should be
removed and destroyed at once.

All persons are requested to inform the Department of the location of
infested hickory trees and to extend to the inspectors such assistance
as may be desired.

Department Circular Number 64 on "Dying Hickory Trees" will be sent to
all applicants.

CALVIN J. HUSON,
Commissioner of Agriculture