GYPSY AM) BKOWX-TAIL MOTHS. [Jan. 



KI:PORT OF DR. E. p. FELT, 



STATE ENTOMOLOGIST OP NEW YORK. 



ALBANY, X. Y., July 1, 1907. 



Prof. A. II. KIKKI.AXD, Superintendent of the Work for Suppressing the 

 liii/ixit ami Jifiiim-liiil Moths, 6 Beacon Street, Boston, Mnxx. 



DEAR Sn;: -It gives me great pleasure to submit the following re- 

 port on my invest iuations, made June '-'.1-27, 1907, of the work with 

 parasites of ^he gypsy and brown-tail moths. 



Since a few general considerations are essential to a full understand- 

 ing, I wish first of all to submit a brief resume of the situation. The 

 State of Massachusetts be^an operations against the gypsy moth in 

 1S90, at which time the area badly infested by the moth was quite re- 

 stricted. The work was prosecuted vigorously, and, though much had 

 to be learned by costly experience, substantial progress was made; 

 during the latter part of the decade a remarkably extensive campaign 

 of extermination was in full swing, and the gypsy moth was very 

 scarce in many places where it had previously swarmed. Unfortunately, 

 nothing was done in 1900 to 1905, and during this period there was a 

 great extension of the infested territory, a marvelous multiplication of 

 insects, and the extremely unfortunate conditions of 1890 were du- 

 plicated over a much larger area. The work of recent years, now in 

 progress, is avowedly repressive in nature, and consequently the earlier 

 methods have necessarily been adapted to present needs. It is very 

 ^ratifying in (his connection to note the wonderful change that has 

 taken place in the last two years, despite the fact that badly infested 

 areas were much greater in extent and more widely distributed than 

 ever before. Though there are still badly infested woodland tracts, as 

 a general rule, the residential districts, including practically all lands 

 adjacent to public highways, are very free from both gypsy and brown- 

 tail moth caterpillars. 



The moment the policy of the Commonwealth changed from one of 

 extermination to that of repression, the question of obtaining natural 

 checks of one kind or another became of prime importance. This is 

 particularly the case when it is remembered that some $750,000 were 

 expended in 1906, under State supervision, in order to bring about the 

 present condition. Kven greater expense may be necessary in subse- 

 quent years if the services of parasites cannot be enlisted, since there 

 is hound to be some increase in the infested territory from year to 

 year, in spite of most rigorous care. This practical consideration alone 

 forces us to conclude that no expenditure of either time or money 

 should be spared to bring about a result which would be beneficial not 

 only to the atllicted communities in eastern Massachusetts, hut also to 

 those in other States already infested by the gypsy moth, and le-s 

 directly to all having property interests in the northeastern United 

 Slates, if not to those throughout the entire country. 



