TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



PAGE 



Brief description of the gypsy moth, . . 5 



Habits of the caterpillars, . . ....... 5 



Food plants, .... . . .6 



Letter of transmittal, 7 



Report of the committee, . ... ..... 9 



Balance of appropriation on hand Jan. 1, 1897, 9 



Prompt action of Legislature, . . ... 9 



AVork in woodlands, . 10 



Reduction of the force, 11 



Results of the year's work, 11 



Future work, .... 13 



Endorsements of the work of the committee, ...... 14 



Report of Prof. J. 13. Smith 15 



Financial report, 15 



Report of the entomologist, .... 17 



Possibility of extermination, .... ..... 18 



Amount necessary, 18 



Economy of extermination, . 19 



Report of the field director, 21 



Winter and spring work, 21 



Destruction of eggs in walls, 22 



Burlapping, . . 23 



Spraying, 23 



Fall and winter work, 24 



Summary of the year's work, 25 



Details of work done, 26 



False alarms, 26 



Number of employees . .27 



Condition of infested region, 28 



Increase of the moth in woodlands, 43 



Methods of work in woodlands, ... 44 



Progress of extermination, 45 



Need of large appropriations, .... ... .47 



Conclusions, 49 



Appendix 51 



Arsenate of lead as an insecticide, 53 



Arsenate of lead ; its manufacture and chemical composition, . . . 57 



Experiments with insecticides, 70 



Danger from the use of arsenate of lead, 90 



Digestion in the larvre of the gypsy moth, 94 



Notes on predaceous beetles, 102 



The species of Podisus occurring in the United States, 112 



