REPORT OF FIELD AGENT, GYPSY MOTH WORK. IO3 



REPORT OF THE SPECIAL FIELD AGENT IN 

 CHARGE OF GYPSY MOTH WORK, 1913. 



To the Hon. John A. Roberts, Commissioner of Agriculture: 



I herewith submit my annual report as field agent in charge 

 of g>'psy moth work for the year 19 13. 



The most discouraging feature of the gypsy moth situation is 

 the increase of infested territory. At the close of the year 

 191 2 the field agent reported 85 towns infested. At the present 

 time the known area comprises 171 towns located in 13 diflfer- 

 ent counties, and as yet the actual limits of the district infested 

 with the gypsy moth are not known, and they will not be deter- 

 mined until such time as a more thorough examination of the 

 outlying towns is made by the trained scouts of the United 

 States Government. 



This condition is due to the fact that the appropriations have 

 not been large enough to properly carry on the work and I 

 would advise the changing of the present policy to one of 

 education of the people of the state to handle their own infes- 

 tations and to the development of parasites for both the gypsy 

 and brown-tail moths. 



In order to carry out the present methods of suppression of 

 the moth a very large sum of money would be necessary; so 

 large, in fact, that it would be excessive for the state to raise 

 such for this work. From my experience in this work I believe 

 that we would get better results by educating the property 

 owner to care for his trees and in the development of parasites. 

 Massachusetts has expended 10,000,000 dollars in the moth 

 work. This is a large sum of money. Massachusetts is a rich 

 state and is able to expend such a sum of money for such a 

 purpose, but for Maine, the prospect would be ruinous. Hope 

 must be placed in the development of parasitic enemies, educa- 

 tion of the people as to the proper methods in handling the in 

 sect, and the purchase of high power spraying machines by the 



