10 THE GYPSY MOTH. 



spected, and, as it was believed that no large unknown 

 colonies existed in the infested region, it was planned in 

 1897, first, to work thoroughly all known colonies, espe- 

 cially those in the Saugus woodlands. During January, 

 February, March and the first part of April the men were 

 employed in cutting underbrush and dead wood, and in 

 trimming and otherwise preparing the infested localities for 

 the work of the burlapping season. As soon as the appro- 

 priation became available the force was increased, so that 

 on April 1 three hundred and fifty- four men were in the 

 field. This force was largely employed during the first 

 part of April in continuing the cleaning up of infested 

 localities and destroying the eggs of the moth in wood- 

 land colonies, principally in Saugus and Medford. A sup- 

 ply of burlap was purchased, and during the latter part of 

 April and the month of May was put on the trees in most 

 of the known infested localities. While this was being 



^3 



done, the scattered eggs of the moth upon the ground in 

 the woodland commenced hatching and the caterpillars be- 

 gan ascending the trees. In some of the worst colonies, 

 where the undergrowth had been removed, the trees had 

 been previously banded with insect lime. In these places 

 the caterpillars were either destroyed by starvation or killed 

 by fire before they could ascend the trees. In other cases 

 spraying was resorted to. Arsenate of lead was the insecti- 

 cide principally used, and, though its effect was somewhat 

 neutralized by continuous wet weather, it greatly reduced 

 the number of caterpillars. During the summer the force 

 of men, which at one time numbered three hundred and 

 eighty-seven, was used almost entirely in attending the 

 burlaps. While the increase of the appropriation over that 

 of 1896 has enabled the committee in 1897 to clear away 

 the underbrush from the worst infested woodland colonies 

 and to destroy a large proportion of the caterpillars in the 

 Saugus woods, the legislative reduction of twenty-five per 

 cent, from the committee's estimate of $200,000 for 1897 

 has made it impossible to extend to all quarters the scheme 

 of work planned for the year ; hence the work in the Med- 

 ford woods (Middlesex Fells region) was not so complete 

 as that done in Saugus. 



