10 GYPSY AND BROWN-TAIL MOTHS. [Jan. 



priation of $25,000. The work of combating the insect 

 was begun by a commission consisting of W. W. Rawson 

 of Arlington, Dr. Pearl Martin of Medford and J. Howard 



O 



Bradley of Maiden. The early work of the commission soon 

 developed the fact that the territory occupied by the moth 

 was much greater than had been supposed, and the matter was 

 again presented to the Legislature, with the result that an 

 additional appropriation of $25, 000 was made June 3, 1890. 

 The following year another commission, consisting of 

 Prof. N. S. Shaler of Harvard University, Gen. K H. 

 Appleton and the Hon. W. R. Sessions, all members of the 

 State Board of Agriculture, and the last named the secretary 

 of the Board, was appointed by Governor W. E. Russell to 

 direct the work. After a few weeks this commission was 

 superseded by the State Board of Agriculture, which by a 

 special committee, composed at first of the above-mentioned 

 gentlemen, carried on the work against the gypsy moth from 

 May 19, 1891, to Feb. 1, 1900, during which time the 

 active field operations were under the direction of the well- 

 known naturalist, Mr. E. H. Forbush, while the scientific 

 and technical work was directed by Prof. C. H. Fernald. 

 Without going into details, it may be said that the work by 

 the committee of the Board of Agriculture, while dependent 

 upon annual appropriations of the Legislature and often 

 seriously delayed and restricted for lack of funds, was pros- 

 ecuted with varying degrees of success until in 1899 the 

 gypsy moth was completely under control throughout the 

 district. 



THE BROWN-TAIL MOTH. 



This insect found its way to Soinerville, Mass., in the 

 early nineties. The evidence bearing upon its importation 

 is entirely circumstantial, but it is matter of record that in 

 the centre of the original brown-tail moth colony there is 

 a florist's establishment which for years made a specialty of 

 importing roses from abroad. It is also well known that 

 the brown-tail moth spins its winter webs on rose bushes. 

 Since the original infestation was located in a pear orchard 

 adjoining the field where these foreign roses had been culti- 

 vated for several years, there is strong presumptive evidence 



