>From Westcott's Plant Disease Handbook, 4th ed.-
"Dutch Elm Disease was discovered in Ohio in 1930 and in New Jersey in 1933.
It has spread north thorough New England  and has become very serious in the
Midwest. In 1948, the disease was found in Denver and in 1976 in Claifornia.
The spread of the fungus is linked with the presence of the large and small
European bark beetles. Only the latter is established in this country,
having arrived in Boston about 1919. Patient detective work established the
fact that the fugus canme here in elm burl logs imported for furniture
veneer. After one such infected elm burl was found in Baltimore in 1934,
months of scouting went on in the vicinity of ports of entry, railroad
distribution yards, and veneer plants. Such backtracking showed the infected
material had come in at four ports of entry and had been carried by 16
railroads over 13,000 miles in 21 states. From this source the disease got
its start in at least 13 areas in 7 states.
Nursery stock is, of course, quarantined, and elm burl are embargoed; but
who would have believed  that dishes could have anything to do with killing
our elms? Dishes have to be crated, however, and serval times since 1933
English dises crated with elm wood carrying bark beetles have been
intercepted."

Elm trees were widely over planted, and the once the disease got into one
tree, it could spread by natural root graphs to other nearby trees. In the
1940's, the use of "new" chemicals was not seen to be a horriable thing, in
fact it was progress. As historians, we can not place our values on the
thoughts and actions of those we study. We can learn from thier successes
and mistakes, but I am sure that those kids playing in the rain of that
spray thought it was a grand thing. I remember walking through aerial
spraying in the Adirondacks as they tried to control the black flies. People
demanded such sprays. It was a new and easy way to control this pest.
Certainly, now I bring my kids inside when they spray the village for
control, although I know the stuff is relatively harmless. Why take a
chance? But, people still demand that we spray.

The yellow strips could have been sticky traps, markers for clean or
infected trees, spray guides, or poor attempts at controlling the disease
spread within the tree.

Mike Riley
Town of Mentz Historian