USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Fitchburg > Address of the mayor, together with the annual reports for the city of Fitchburg, Massachusetts for the year .. > Part 19
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birch leaf skeletonizer, and maple, ash, elm and pine borers, a number of varieties of tree lice, including three varieties of scale insects, and lastly the elm leaf beetle. Of this list the gypsy and brown tail moths are taken care of by the moth de- partment. The rest of them, with the exception of the elm leaf beetle and the borers, are not dangerous at the present time. Elm leaf beetle is the most serious. This pest has become firmly established on practically all our elm trees. In order to save them from immediate destruction it will be neces- sary for us to spray the elms during the month of May with a solution of arsenate of lead. The only way to treat this ques- tion practically is to buy a power sprayer which will, with the equipment of hose and accessories, cost about $1,500. It would be necessary for the city to purchase a sprayer for the moth work within a year or two at the least, and it would be better economy for us to get it now and save our elm trees than to wait until they are all dead and then get the means of saving the others.
Only 192 streets out of the total number of 414 in the city have any shade trees on them; 222 having no shade trees at all. Nearly all of these streets need trees and many of the others need more trees than they now have. In order to fulfil the de- mand for shade trees in our streets, parks and playgrounds a large number of trees will have to be purchased from the nursery men that will cost from $1.00 to $5.00 each. A great share of this expense would be saved if a municipal nursery was started at some convenient place, as at Coggshall Park for instance. Other cities have tried this scheme and find it saves them large amounts. The borough of Brooklyn, city of New York, has a nursery containing 70,000 trees which cost the city $.01 a piece and which are now worth from $.05 to $.50 a piece.
It would only be necessary at first to raise hardwood trees for street plantings, but if arrangements can be made later enough pine and spruce and other forest trees could be raised to supply the water department for reforestration of their water sheds, Burbank hospital for their lands, and for the work in Coggshall Park. Fitchburg should be a pioneer in establishing a municipal forest and show the way to the other cities in the country. An actual revenue can be obtained from the proper management of the forest we already own if combined and
344
REPORT OF PARK COMMISSIONERS
made into a small municipal forest. This should be the ideal towards which we work in the future.
RECAPITULATION OF ACCOUNTS.
Coggshall Park,
$2,415 85
Upper Common,
455 31
Monument Park,
745 29
Wallace Way,
65 05
Lower Common,
166 07
Cleghorn Park,
112 83
Oak Hill,
44 72
Stanley,
193 17
Grant,
61 34
$4,259 93
Lowe Playground,
$59 24
Walton Street Playground,
541 19
Daniels Playground,
87 96
Middle Street Playground,
38 00
Salem Street Playground,
898 62
Goodrich Street Playground,
28 67
South Fitchburg Playground,
275 13
1,928 81
Playground apparatus,
$3,064 93
Playground supervision,
1,893 50
Office maintenance,
321 30
Office equipment,
142 73
Storehouse equipment,
8 26
General administration,
18 48
Incidentals and repairs,
447 41
Shade trees,
725 18
6,651 79
$12,840 53
345
REPORT OF PARK COMMISSIONERS
RECEIPTS.
Appropriation,
$4,000 00
Shade tree account, private work,
243 20
$4,243 20
EXPENDITURES.
Total expenditures, Receipts,
$12,840 53
4,243 20
Balance overdrawn,
$8,597 33
Valuation of Parks and Play- grounds,
$217,650 00
Playground equipment valuation,
4,501 10
Coggshall Park equipment, inventory,
303 35
Storehouse equipment, inventory,
228 25
Office furniture,
225 00
$222,907 70
It is interesting to know that in other cities of our size, as Newton for instance, which has a population exactly the same as Fitchburg, $8,353.83 was spent on parks, $6,190.90 on general tree work, and $51,249.01 on moth work. This for a city of our own size. Malden, Mass., of practically the same popula- tion, has an appropriation of $21,000 for park work alone. Holyoke, Mass., spends $20,183.28 on parks and $8,503.53 on playgrounds ; New Bedford $33,034.19 on parks and $5,976.91 on playgrounds, while Harrisburg, Pa., which has a population of little more than one-half as much again as Fitchburg spends annually $93,710 for public parks. It is a well established fact that a city should appropriate from three to five per cent of their total amount expended to be used for the maintenance and promotion of parks, playgrounds, trees, etc. Fitchburg spends about two per cent of this amount. Five per cent of our annual appropriation would be $21,500. A tax of $ .001 per dollar on the assessed valuation of the city is often allowed as a fair proportion to be used for park work. This amount would give Fitchburg an annual appropriation of $32,000 and over. That we may obtain as large a proportion of this amount as possible it is necessary for us to arouse public sentiment in favor of the movement. To do this, we must endeavor to keep it before the
346
REPORT OF PARK COMMISSIONERS
public as much as possible that they may know what is being done and how their money is being expended. In order to see that the money is properly expended, it is necessary also for your Superintendent to travel from one end of the city to another. In many instances he is wanted in several places at the same time. It has been impossible in the past to attend to all the requests for inspection of trees and other work outside of the regular city park and tree work as he could not be in several places at once. I would, therefore, urge upon you the . necessity of providing the Superintendent, and at the same time your Commission, with a quicker and more serviceable means of reaching the various places where it is necessary to look after the work in the course of the day.
Respectfully submitted, WM. W. COLTON,
Superintendent of Parks and Playgrounds and City Forester.
.
ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE
SUPERINTENDENT OF
GYPSY AND BROWN-TAIL MOTH WORK
OF THE
CITY OF FITCHBURG
MASSACHUSETTS
1911
C
*A TOWN
Y, MAR. 8.1877
, FEB. 3, 1764.
A CITY,
FITCHBURG : H. M. DOWNS PRINTING CO. 1912
REPORT OF SUPERINTENDENT OF GYPSY AND BROWN-TAIL MOTH WORK
FITCHBURG, MASS., Dec. 1, 1911.
To His Honor the Mayor and Board of Aldermen.
GENTLEMEN : - I have the honor to herewith submit my first annual report as Superintendent of Gypsy and Brown-tail Moth Extermination Work. During the year preceding my appointment and under the administration of my predecessor, the work of exterminating the moth pest had been carried on very energetically. During the winter of 1910 and 1911, the nests of the brown-tail were removed from trees on every piece of property in the city, as far as possible.
Early in the spring, work was begun for the first time on the closing of cavities in trees, by means of strips of zinc or tin tacked over the opening, the strips being tacked after the cavity had been carefully treated to assure the healing of the wound and covering of the zinc by new wood. This work was done to confine to the cavities the eggs of the gypsy moth, which might have been deposited there during the preceding summer, and thereby escape the eye of our scouts. It also prevents their hiding there another year. Only a very small amount of this work was accomplished last spring as compared with the amount that should be done in this city.
During the latter part of May and June, there were 4712 burlaps put on trees scattered over all sections of the city. These burlaps were put on wherever the eggs of the gypsy moth were discovered, and trees burlapped a distance of 50 feet from the point were the nest was found. During the summer, these burlaps were visited by employees of the moth department and all catapillars found under them were crushed.
Thanks to the keen interest taken in the work by my pre- decessor, I have found conditions very favorable as far as the general spread of the moth is concerned. Since the first of
350
REPORT OF SUPERINTENDENT OF
August, I have found it necessary to make a number of changes in the department which I hope will work out to the benefit of the City. These are due mostly to the fact that conditions are changing and that the problem must be dealt with differently now than when the City was first infested. We have reached the stage where the City is pretty generally infested with gypsy moths, and it will be necessary for us to fight them with every means available if we expect to keep them from getting the best of us.
Our scouts started in September in their annual quest for the nests of the gypsy moth. Up to the present time they have reported having found 13,000 nests. We still have about one- fifth of the city to cover and indications would point to our finding about 18,000 nests in the city this year. All these nests are treated with creosote to kill the eggs, and a record kept of all properties and locations where they are found. Next year these places will be burlapped and everything possible done to ex- terminate the moths on these places.
It is our intention to do considerable tinning again next year. This is one of the most important items of gypsy work. It is the habit of the gypsy moth to seek the most sheltered and inconspicuous place possible to lay its eggs. Therefore a cavity in a tree is one of the best places for them to go. If we can fill or cover up all these holes then it will be much easier to find the nests and to control the spread of the moth.
Let us take two orchards for instance, both being of equal size and value; one where none of this work has been done and one where all the old cavities have been filled and the worth- less trees taken out. In the first one the men go through it and clean up all the nests in sight. Next year the place is burlapped and thousands of caterpillars are found under the burlaps. In the fall we look the place over and still find plenty of nests so that the same amount of work has to be gone over again at the same cost to the owner. Now, let us take the second orchard. All the trees there have clean, smooth trunks and limbs. The scouts cover this orchard treating all the nests in one-half the time it took to pry into all the cavities and holes of the first. They have reached every nest in sight. As there are no cavities or hiding places for them there will be no necessity of putting on burlap this summer, and the following fall the chances are there
351
GYPSY AND BROWN-TAIL MOTH WORK
will be only a few gypsy nests found and much less time taken in finding them. This shows us that the cost of maintenance has been decreased, and not only that but the life and productivity of the orchard has been increased by the simple outlay of the extra money it originally takes to put the orchard in good condi- tion. This is really the first principle to be learned in success- fully combating the gypsy moth, and results in the cheapest way in the end. It is much better to maintain a few good trees than a lot of poor ones.
In this same matter it would be well, perhaps, to mention the resistance of certain trees to the ravages of the moth. The gypsy moth, as is well known, will attack and eat the foli- age of practically everything that grows. About the only trees exempt from it are the ash and arbor vitæ. The brown-tail moth is more fastidious and will not attack any of the coniferous or evergreen trees. There are also a number of hardwoods which are exempt from its attack. The following list will give some idea of the resistance of the different trees. Beginning at the top of the column marked "Resistant" are those trees which are not attacked by gypsy or brown-tail, and running down to those occasionally attacked when other food is scarce. Beginning at the top of the other column are the trees which are attacked by both gypsy and brown-tail, showing the order of preference as food trees. The last part of both columns below "X " are so merged together, however, that there is very little choice.
RESISTANT
NON-RESISTANT
Ash
All fruit trees
Arbor vitæ
Wild cherry
Ailanthus
White oak
Gingko
Gray birch
Tulip
Paper birch
Sycamore
Willows
Catalpa
Hawthorns
Juniper
Hornbeam
Magnolia
Red oak
Linden
Black oak
Horse Chestnut
Scarlet oak
Beech
Cottonwood
352
REPORT OF SUPERINTENDENT OF
RESISTANT
NON-RESISTANT
Fir
Balm of Gilead
Spruce
Yellow birch
Hemlock
Witch-hazel
Larch
Hop hornbeam
Pine
Elm
Sweet gum
Hackberry
Sassafras
Locust
Sumach
Tupelo
X Mountain ash
Chestnut
Mulberry
Butternut
Persimmon
Hickory
Shadbush
X
Pin oak
Black birch
Alder
Red maple
Box alder
Sycamore maple
Silver maple
Norway maple
Sugar maple
It will be our aim in the future, in treating the city trees, to save, wherever possible, the species classified as resistant and do "away with the non-resistant. This is especially true in regard to woodlots and woodland colonies. If the white oak, cherry and birches, especially, were eliminated from the wood- lands, the chance of its becoming badly infested would be lessened a great deal. It would also lower the cost of cleaning and caring for a piece of woodland such as a public park or grove.
This department has already started its work of cleaning the brown-tails for the coming winter. It has been thought best to inaugurate a triplicate system of keeping the amount of work and charges made on private property. In accordance with this new system a bill will be made out by the foreman when the work is done, and handed to the tenant or owner when owner is within reach. This bill may be paid at the office of the superintendent, or, if not paid before May 1st of the follow- ing year, the amount will be charged to the owners' taxes. A copy of this bill will be returned to the office, and a second copy retained by the foreman. It is hoped that this will aid the people in becoming more familiar with the work, by giving
353
GYPSY AND BROWN-TAIL MOTH WORK
them a chance to know when the work is done, and to question the foreman if necessary in regard to it, It will also give everybody the opportunity to pay their moth bill in advance and not have it go on their tax bill. Many people have previ- ously objected to the latter method and requested that they be allowed to pay their bill when the work is done but, heretofore, we have had no regular system for accomplishing this result.
Upon the present incumbents taking over the duties of this office it was thought best to combine the work with that of the Park Commission in as far as office duties and expenses were concerned. As your superintendent is to act as City Forester and agent of the Park Commission, we joined hands and after obtaining permission to establish an office at City Hall, it was agreed to share expenses of the equipment and maintenance of the same. It is now our policy to divide equally all bills per- taining to such above expenses, as salary of superintendent, clerk and general office supplies. Through the generosity of the City Property Committee, the expense for our office furnish- ings was charged to its account.
The establishment of this office, and the employment of a clerk has already proven of much value to us. The office is now open from eight to twelve a. m., and one to five p. m. Our clerk is prepared to answer questions, or take requests for information on any subject pertaining to forestry or moth matters. We have a limited amount of literature on the above subjects for distribution to those interested enough to call for it. Complaints made at the office, or telephoned to the clerk, are filed and investigated by the superintendent as soon as possible.
That more interest has been taken in the work this year is shown from the fact that we received 390 answers to our moth notices, 219 requesting an extension of time and 155 asking that the employes of the moth department do their moth clean- ing work for them. Twenty-seven people have made requests for information about the work and some have entered com- plaints. In most cases an explanation of the importance and nature of the work has satisfied the complainant. A few people have taken advantage of the chance to gain knowledge, and have brought to the office specimens of moths and various insects to be identified. Anything in this line the superin- tendent is glad to do.
354
REPORT OF SUPERINTENDENT OF
One of the first duties of this office is to enlighten the public as to the nature of this work and why we have to do it, and the superintendent stands ready at all times to explain, to the best of his ability, anything in connection with the work. The employes and especially the foremen are expected to answer all reasonable questions with promptness and politeness. Any discourtesies on their part, if reported, will receive our immedi- ate attention.
The financial report of the moth work is as follows :
EXPENDITURES.
December, 1910.
Supplies and tools,
$16 16
Labor, Brown-tail work,
298 00
Salary of Superintendent,
30 00
$344 16
January, 1911.
Supplies,
$15 32
Labor, Brown-tail work,
391 97
Salary of Superintendent,
30 00
437 29
February.
Team hire and transportation,
$6 60
Labor, Brown-tail work,
406 48
Salary of Superintendent,
30 00
443 08
March.
Tools and material,
$22 35
Team hire and Brown-tail work,
20 00
Labor, Brown-tail work N. W. section,
46 50
Labor, Brown-tail work, city,
464 91
Salary of Superintendent,
30.00
583 76
April.
Labor, Brown-tail work, N. W. section,
$51 50
Labor, Brown-tail work, city, 245 35
Salary of Superintendent, 30 00
326 85
355
GYPSY AND BROWN-TAIL MOTH WORK
May.
Material and equipment,
$136 85
Team hire,
63 50
Labor, tinning,
136 85
Labor, burlapping,
78 41
Salary of Superintendent,
30 00
$445 61
June.
Team hire,
$37 00
Labor, burlapping,
52 52
Labor, turning burlaps,
96 49
Salary of Superintendent,
30 00
216 01
July.
Material and equipment,
$19 40
Team hire,
31 50
Clerical work for the year,
40 70
Labor, turning burlaps,
106 99
Salary of Superintendent,
30 00
228 59
$3,025 35
August 1st to December 1st.
GENERAL ADMINISTRATION.
Office maintenance,
$158 45
General expenses,
23 24
Transportation,
54 82
Salary of Superintendent,
150 99
Material,
30 22
Equipment,
25 72
Labor, Gypsy Moth scouting and cleaning,
344 19
787 63
$3,812 98
RECEIPTS.
Appropriation, ·
$1,500 00
Receipts from taxes 1910-11,
1,840 14
$3,340 14
356
REPORT OF SUPERINTENDENT OF
SUMMARY,
Total expenditures,
Total receipts,
$3,812 98 3,340 14
Deficit,
$472 84
-
As you will readily see from the above report, the amount of money appropriated was not sufficient for our needs this year, This coming year, as I have already stated, we have a much greater distribution of the gypsy moth to fight, and with our regular work on the brown-tails, we will need considerable more money than was appropriated this year.
To many it may seem a hopeless task to continue to fight these pests year after year. Many people ask the question, " What is the use of cleaning your orchard or shade trees when the neighboring woods are full of moths?" The answer is that every time you clean your shade trees of brown-tails or gypsies you save it one more year from destruction and every time you clean your orchard, you save your fruit for that year. Potato bugs come back every year regardless of how much care you take or how much money you expend, yet you wouldn't think of saying, "What is the use of spraying these? The air is full of them somewhere else and we are bound to have them next year." The same principle holds good in regard to the brown- tail. We have to do the same regarding our orchard and shade trees as we do with our garden products and care for them each year if we wish to save them. As I have said before, if they are not of any value to you as shade trees, or for the crops they bear, cut them down, but go slowly about cutting down valuable trees.
There is hope of yet controlling the gypsy and brown-tail moth. The state and United States government are spending thousands of dollars yearly, experimenting and finding natural enemies for them. These are being liberated, some each year, and will in all probability, control both pests in the course of a dozen or more years. It must not be expected that these para- sites will show any immediate effect on the destruction of the moth. It took the gypsy moth 21 years to breed in large enough numbers to become a pest. They were introduced in this country in 1868 at Medford, and not until 1889 was there
357
GYPSY AND BROWN-TAIL MOTH WORK
any attempt made to fight them. It is not reasonable, therefore, to expect the parasites of these moths to make a great devasta- tion in their ranks short of five or ten years, even with the aid of artificial distribution. Several diseases have also been intro- duced into both moths, and this year great havoc was created in the ranks of brown-tail moths in this section. Some parts of our city are almost free from the brown-tails this winter. While this does not assure us of being free of them next year it is encouraging. Monodontomerus æreus, one of the best of the imported parasites on the pupa of the brown-tail moth, has been found hibernating in their nests here this winter. Diseases of both will be introduced during this winter and we hope in this way to aid the people in their hand method of combating them.
In the meantime it is necessary, however, to continue with unabated energy our fight by every force known to us. In order to do this I ask that you give us sufficient money for the following purposes : -
To continue the policy of maintaning a general bureau of information at the City Hall office.
To thoroughly clean both pests from all properties, both city and private.
To put all trees in the city in better condition to withstand their attack.
To clean the back roads of non-resident species of trees.
To co-operate with the land owners for the care of their shade trees, orchards, and woodlands.
To generally maintain a more efficient working force by supplying them with the latest equipment and materials with which to work.
In conclusion I wish to thank the Mayor and Board of Aldermen, the City Government, the officers in City Hall, and the newspapers who have aided me-a stranger in your city- to become acquainted with the people and conditions and have in every way shown me courtesy and co-operation.
Respectfully submitted,
WM. W. COLTON,
Superintendent of the Gypsy and Brown-tail Moth Work.
ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE
FOREST WARDEN
OF THE
CITY OF FITCHBURG MASSACHUSETTS 1
1911
TO
* A TOWN,
MAR. 8.1872
FEB.3, 1764.
A CITY
FITCHBURG : H. M. DOWNS PRINTING Co. 1912
REPORT OF THE FOREST WARDEN
To His Honor the Mayor and Board of Aldermen :
GENTLEMEN : - In accordance with the statutes I herewith submit my first annual report as Forest Warden of the city of Fitchburg.
Previous to the creation of this office the duties of the Forest Warden were very successfully filled by the chief of your fire department. It is due in a large measure to his efforts and to those working under him that we have had so little damage from forest fires in this city.
According to the arrangement made with the State Forest- er's office the duties of Forest Warden, as far as the control of fires is concerned, will still be under the direction of the fire chief, as he is the logical person to carry on this end of the work.
To comply with the request of the State Fire Warden five Deputy Forest Wardens have been appointed as follows :
Mr. C. Leroy Grubb, Scott road, Deputy Forest Warden for the northwest section.
Mr. Henry A. Benedict, High Rock road, Deputy Forest Warden for the Pearl Hill section.
Mr. George H. Harrington, Oak Hill road, Deputy Forest Warden for Oak Hill section.
Mr. George A. Cutting, Damon road, Deputy Forest Warden for No-Town section.
Mr. T. F. Murnane, Chief of Fire Department, as Chief Deputy Forest Warden for the city.
As the statutes of Massachusetts now compel all persons setting a fire in the open between the first day of March and the first of December to obtain a permit for the same, except under certain restrictions, it was necessary for us to obtain a supply of blank permits from the State office. Badges were also supplied to the deputies as soon as they were sworn in. This necessi-
362
REPORT OF FOREST WARDEN
tated the expenditure of the sum of $14, which was, with the advice and consent of the Mayor, charged to the moth account.
In order to put this department on a working basis it will be necessary for us to have a small appropriation of our own the ensuing year. Heretofore it has been necessary for the chief, in case of a fire in the outlying districts, to take a portion of his force from the city, thereby weakening the protection in the city proper, or to call in outsiders who have been paid out of the regular appropriation for the protection of the business section. Under the present system it will be unnecessary for the depart- ment to respond to a forest fire outside of the city proper unless called there by the deputy in whose district it occurs.
Each deputy is expected to respond to any call or notifica- tion from the State Lookout Station on Mt. Wachusett. If the fire is such that he can control it with what aid he can summon quickly, then he will attend to it alone, otherwise he will call upon the chief for help. Every deputy has the power to com- pel any able bodied man between the age of 18 and 50 years to aid in fighting fire. Any and all persons so enlisted must be paid by the city.
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