10 (JVPSV AND BROWN-TAIL MOTHS. [Jan. 



The State work has gone far enough to reveal a most alarming 

 state of affairs. The gypsy moth has been found spread through- 

 out nearly all of eastern Massachusetts, many of the border 

 towns in Middlesex and Worcester counties being infested, 

 while the central towns are thoroughly infested from one end 

 to the other. It is apparent that the State is called upon to 

 make a most vigorous fight against one of the best-kmnvn and 

 most important enemies of fruit and shade trees scattered 

 throughout more than one-quarter of its area. The case is not 

 at all comparable to that of the cotton boll weevil now ravaging 

 the cotton fields of the southwest, which is restricted to a single 

 food plant, nor to the outbreaks of insects like the chinch bug 

 or Hessian fly in our western States, which feed on but few 

 plants. While the gypsy moth has not caused important damage 

 to field crops except in rare cases, it does attack the whole wide 

 range of fruit trees, shade trees, forest trees and ornamental 

 shrubs, and when unrestricted leaves only desolation and ruin in 

 its path. It also naturally follows that wherever the pest finds 

 lodgment, it obtains food on which it can thrive and develop, 

 and within a few years increases into a colony of notable pro- 

 portions. 



With the developments of the last year and the experience 

 gained, we are now able to present a much more accurate st; 

 rnent of existing conditions than was possible at the time of 

 the presentation of the first report. As many of those interested 

 in the progress of the unique co-operative effort to suppress the 

 gypsy and brown-tail moths in Massachusetts will not be able 

 to find time to peruse all the details of this report, it has seemed 

 best to present the following summary of the same. 



SYNOPSIS OF Tin: KKPORT. 



1. The area heavily infested by the moths has been del IT 

 mined, but the complete extent of the infested district is not yt 

 known, nor will be until funds are available for extensive 

 scouting operations. 



2. In the knoun infested district local work against the moths 

 has been organized and prosecuted vigorously. Two lines of 

 ell'orf have been followed. Some 8,000 miles of streets have 



worked over and kept practically i'n-c from the caterpillar-. 



