22 GYPSY AXD BROWX-TAIL MOTHS. [Jan. 



egg clusters, burlapped, banded or sprayed, as conditions re- 

 quired. It should be borne in mind that street trees once clear 

 of the moth do not necessarily remain so. They are particularly 

 exposed to infestation from straggling caterpillars dropped by 

 carriages, automobiles, etc., as well as from the insects which 

 come from stone walls and the occasionally neglected estates. 

 The work of cutting and burning roadside brush and worthless 

 trees, although often severely criticized by those who do not 

 fully appreciate the extent to which neglected roadsides harbor 

 the moths, has been of great help in forcing the insects to the 

 remaining shade trees, there to be killed by spraying or inter- 

 cepted at the burlap bands. Where badly infested woodlands 

 border the roadsides, and the street trees are in fact but a part 

 of the woods, protective belts from 50 to 100 feet wide have 

 been thinned out, leaving the trees at such distances apart as 

 shall insure their best growth. In such cases the trees to be 

 left have been carefully selected and later banded and sprayed, 

 in order to prevent the caterpillar swarms from reaching the 

 roadside. The importance of this roadside work, which prob- 

 ably represents at least one-half our efforts the past year, can- 

 not be overestimated. If the spread of the moth throughout 

 the State, now greatly favored by the constantly increasing 

 number of automobiles in use, is to be prevented, the roadside 

 trees must be kept free from the insects. 



During the winter and early spring months the work of de- 

 stroying gypsy moth egg clusters and the brown-tail moth webs 

 on street trees and private estates was diligently continued, and 

 the enforcement of the provisions of the law on private estates 

 where no work had been done against the ]>esfs was vigorously 

 prosecuted. Obliged by necessity in 1006 to give first attention 

 to the worst-infested residential sections, even to the neglect of 



O 



outlying districts, we were able in 1907 to extend these opera- 

 tions so far as to cover a large part of the more scattered farm- 

 ing districts as well ; so that with the opening of the caterpillar 

 season practically the entire district, aside from the woodlands, 

 had bfrn worked over. Cities and towns were also <Iireoted 

 e;iHv in the season to place their orders for spraying outfits, 

 burlap mid insert ioides, so that adequate supplies should be on 

 h:ind in season for the spring work. During the latter part of 



