1908.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT No. 73. 207 



eradication. A hopeful sign in this warfare is the sympathy manifested 

 in the work by many public-spirited citizens, such as Gen. Samuel Law- 

 rence, Col. Wm. Sohier, numerous residents of the North Shore dis- 

 trict, of Brookline, Winchester, Belmont, and in fact of all the badly 

 infested towns, who have not hesitated to spend large sums of their 

 own money for the public weal. The enterprising spirit which seems 

 to be actuating the officials of the infested towns and cities to co- 

 operate with the State and the federal government is a new develop- 

 ment which is an example to the whole world. 



In passing through infested parks and woodland roads, the danger of 

 the caterpillars being carried from place to place by passing vehicles 

 was plainly demonstrated, and showed the wisdom of clearing a 100- 

 foot protective belt by thinning out and spraying the trees, which is 

 being done both by officials of the federal Bureau of Entomology and 

 by your force. The advent of the automobile has certainly increased 

 enormously the difficulties of preventing the spread of these cater- 

 pillars, which spin down over the roadways from the trees, and are 

 thus carried long- distances in a very short time. Any one looking into 

 this matter at the present day must regret deeply that the work of ex- 

 termination should have been stopped in 1900, when there were prac- 

 tically no automobiles. 



From what I saw of the work as now being done under you and Dr. 

 Howard, I am deeply impressed with the careful and methodical man- 

 agement of this whole campaign, and of the wisdom of the Legislature 

 of the State of Massachusetts in providing funds so that the work may 

 be prosecuted vigorously now. 



In the whole of this work I have only one suggestion to make, viz., 

 that the fungous disease which we found to be very prevalent in some 

 localities may be watched closely, so that, if practicable, its services may 

 be directed against the caterpillars in some places where this is prac- 

 ticable. This of course is a very difficult friend to control. It is a 

 native species, and at times has done good service in limiting outbreaks 

 of injurious insects; but on the whole has been less effective than insect 

 parasites. 



REPOET OF EDW. M. EHRHORN, 



DEPUTY COMMISSIONER OP HORTICULTURE, CALIFORNIA. 



SAN FRANCISCO, CAL., Aug. 15, 1907. 



Mr. A. H. KIRKLAND, Superintendent for Suppressing the Gypsy and Brown- 

 tail Moths, 6 Beacon Street, Boston, Mass. 



DEAR SIR: ---In accordance with your kind invitation to visit Massa- 

 chusetts, and examine into the various phases of the introduced para- 

 sites of the gypsy and brown-tail moths, as per your letter of May 

 29, and having received permission from my chief, Hon. Elwood 

 Cooper, State Commissioner of Horticulture of California, as well 

 as the approval of Hon. James M. Gillett, Governor of California, I 



