1906.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT No. 73. 103 



towns are thoroughly infested, egg clusters are numerous 

 on street trees, and large areas of woodland have been 

 seriously devastated by caterpillars. Outside of this central 

 infested district there are notable colonies at Quincy, Hyde 

 Park, North Reading, Gloucester, Ipswich and Newbury- 

 port, while the condition of other infested localities, such as 

 Hingham, Weymouth, Braintree, Concord, Weston, Wenhain 

 and Essex, is sufficient to cause gravest anxiety for the future. 

 It may well be said that throughout the central infested dis- 

 trict there will undoubtedly be severe injury to woodlands 

 during the caterpillar season of 1906. The funds at present 

 available will hardly suffice to keep the street trees and 

 private estates reasonably clear from the moths, while in the 

 outlying towns much hard w r ork will be required to prevent 

 the pest from increasing to formidable proportions. To 

 secure a reasonable measure of success in controlling the 

 gypsy moth, the heartiest co-operation on the part of all 

 property owners is an imperative necessity. 



Throughout all the territory occupied by the gypsy moth 

 the brown-tail moth occurs in varying numbers, the most 

 severe infestations being to the north of Boston. The insect 

 has also shown itself in important numbers in such centres 

 of population as Worcester, Fitchburg, Leominster and 

 Gardner. The principal spread of this insect has been 

 along the coast line and in a northerly direction over the 

 interior cities and towns. 



WORK FOR 1906. 



During the coming winter months the work of destroying 

 nests of both gypsy and brown-tail moths on street trees, 

 in parks and on other public reservations throughout the 

 infested district will be pushed as rapidly as is consistent 

 with thoroughness. Special effort will be made to induce 

 property owners to clear their estates of the moths ; and it 

 is now intended that all this private work shall be inspected 

 by trained employees of the local forces or by inspectors 

 from this office, in order to detect and destroy any infesta- 

 tions that may have been overlooked. It is apparent that 

 the act will not yield sufficient revenue to do all that could 



