24 GYPSY AND BROWX-TAIL MOTHS. [Jan. 



destroy all of them. While much of this work must of neces- 

 sity be done when the ground is bare, there is greater danger 

 that a few fallen webs may be overlooked than when the snow 

 is on the ground. Experiments made by the superintendent 

 many years ago showed that brown-tail moth webs exposed on 

 the ground to the free action of the elements would still yield 

 in the following spring a considerable percentage of caterpil- 

 lars, 1 which would find their way to the nearest trees or shrub- 

 bery, there to feed and develop in a normal manner, and thus 

 continue the infestation. 



In this connection, the plan of work against the brown-tail 

 moth adopted by Local Superintendent W. D. Corliss, Glouces- 

 ter, Mass., is worthy of commendation. Mr. Corliss first sends 

 through the infested district a crew of skilled climbers to cut 

 off the webs, and these are immediately followed by a suitable 

 number of ground men to gather and destroy them. Finally, 

 a trained inspector goes over the work to make sure that all 

 webs have been removed and properly collected and burned. 

 This plan of work has given most excellent results, and has 

 been adopted by many local superintendents. 



During the early part of the year it became apparent that 

 field agents were not able, because of the increased area of their 

 divisions to give all the time desirable to those portions of the 

 badly infested central district under their charge. In this cen- 

 tral district, within a radius of 15 miles of Boston, the bulk of 

 the work has been required, and here the largest expenditures 

 have been made. Becoming convinced that the best results 

 could be obtained by placing the entire central district in charge 

 of a single agent, a rearrangement of the divisions was made 

 early in the summer, Mr. C. W. Minott being placed in charge 

 of the central division, and a readjustment made of the towns 

 included in the other divisions. In the southern division, em- 

 liracing practically all of Plymouth and Barnstable counties 

 and a small part of Bristol County, the moths were known to 

 be widely scattered ; but to determine the actual conditions pre- 

 vail ing in this far-reaching, thinly settled territory, a great deal 



1 The Brown-tail Moth, ]-Vni:iM-Kirkland, M.i<-.-ir!mM'tt8 Board of Agriculture, 1903, 

 p. CO. 



