Interesting that I recall the bands as yellow and Dan recalls them as black Actually, I think they started yellow and then darkened to black as bark grew back. I definitely remember both, and the transitional. But perhaps my memory is playing tricks, as it is inclined to do these days. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Daniel H. Weiskotten" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Thursday, June 06, 2002 9:06 PM Subject: Re: Saving Elm trees > Ah, the majestic elm trees of Cazenovia ... (and all the wild ones that > grew [and still grow] in back corners and fence lines!) > > I recall the last days of the big elms, black stripes around them, plastic > tubing pumping whatever kind of noxious agent into them, kids like me (and > Lester Hendrix) sitting among the roots watching the parades ... They > dumped them by the ton in the gully of the Michigan Road Landfill where it > all ran down into beloved Chittenango Creek (which was also then the sewer > outfall). The disease was said to be spread by burning so it all just sat > there and rotted. > > Some elms scattered about the Village survived well into the 1980s. One > massive elm near the foot of Cazenovia Lake, below Lorenzo, was as healthy > as any elm tree ever was and as far as I could tell had never been > treated. It was 4 or 5 feet in diameter when it was struck by a car in the > late 1980s. DOT took it down for safety and there was not a spot of rot or > disease in it. Several others across the highway were even larger but died > all at once. They stood dead for a couple more years until we took them > down in about 1985. They were massive, and made excellent firewood, with > the smoothest, cleanest grain I have ever seen. (Long-dead elm cleaves > beautifully, like cherry; the fresh wood is worse than a Gordian Knot.) > > About this same time the restoration crews were doing work on the windows > at Lorenzo and discovered that the sills were made of walnut or > butternut. I also recall that the original bills for carving of the > mantles in 1807 called for a lot of elm wood. Otis Ormsbee was the carver > and he went on to carve some of the most beautiful woodwork in all of > Central NY in a number of other houses in Cazenovia. Late-19th and > early-20th Century historians forgot all about Ormsbee, or disbelieved that > some backwoods Yankee could carve such beautiful things, and the written > histories attribute all of the exquisite mantles, stairs, and doors as > having been carved by "imported Italians." > > The elm is hanging on a bit, but I'm hoping the American Chestnut can be > brought back. > http://www.acf.org/ > > I'm all for planting native-to-New York trees along our highways and > byways, if only for the historicity of it all. > > Dan W. > > > > >Lester Hendrix <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > > > > >Dan Weiskotten, in discussing turnpikes, mentions elm trees in Cazenovia. > > >For what it's worth, I recall efforts to save Cazenovia's elm trees. In late > > >1940s and the 1950s bands about two to three inches wide were carved > > >(shallow) into the bark of the elms, and something which I recall was > > >yellowish was put there. I never saw the bands being carved, only they bands > > >themselves and was told they were to help prevent Dutch elm disease. I think > > >(and I believe that years ago I thought) that the yellow looked a lot like a > > >band of fly paper (remember that stuff?). The tree bands were perhaps 4 feet > > >above ground. > > >Each summer for several years, a tank truck would appear in the village and > > >pump a liquid high into the trees, the stream of liquid looking much like > > >water from a firefighter's hose only whiter. This also was an effort to > > >prevent the spread of Dutch elm disease. > > >I do not know who was responsible for the efforts but suspect the village > > >since the bands, and pump trucks, were everywhere in the village and I never > > >was aware of any outside the village. > > >Perhaps someone can shed some light on the bands about the trees, and > > >chemicals sprayed high into the trees only to rain down on the little > > >children playing beneath. > > > > > > > > >-- > >Cindy Amrhein > >Town of Alabama Historian > >in Genesee Co., NY > >Experience the Town of Alabama in Genesee County, NY. > >http://www2.pcom.net/cinjod/historian/ > >APHNYS (Association of Public Historians of New York State) > >http://www.tier.net/aphnys > > > > > > > >__________________________________________________________________ > >Your favorite stores, helpful shopping tools and great gift ideas. > >Experience the convenience of buying online with Shop@Netscape! > >http://shopnow.netscape.com/ > > > >Get your own FREE, personal Netscape Mail account today at > >http://webmail.netscape.com/