8 THE BROWN-TAIL MOTH. 



miniber of owners of infested estates Avere interviewed. In 

 this wjiyji large amount of valuable information was obtained, 

 but, as might be expeeted, a considerable part of it evidently 

 l)ertained to depredations of insects other than the brown- 

 tail moth. Eliminating these statements, there was still 

 abundant evidence that the moth had ])cen established in 

 Somerville for several years previous to 185H, gradually be- 

 coming acclimated, and slowly s],)reading outward into non- 

 infested territory. Many of these statements from owners 

 of infested propert}^ were of especial interest, and it is well 

 to record several of the more important at this point. 



Mr. ^y. T. Chase, living at 85 Vine Street, Somerville, 

 Mass., .stated tliat he moved to his present place in 1892. 

 In the spring of that year the caterpillars of the brown-tail 

 moth delbliated a few pear trees, and then, driven by want 

 of food, descended to the ground and attacked rhubarb and 

 other plants, greath' injuring his garden crops. Since that 

 date the cater})illars were more or less abundant each year, 

 and in May, 1897, had stripped nearlj^ all the fruit and shade 

 trees on his place. Mrs. Chase stated that in the summer 

 of 189G the house and buildings adjacent "fairly swarmed 

 with white moths." 



Mr. J. A. Merrifield, 48G Somerville Avenue, Somerville, 

 Mass., had noticed the webs of the brown-tail moth on his 

 p(^ar trees for at least thi-ee years preceding 1897, and up to 

 that year had cut off and destroyed the webs each winter, 

 thus ap})lying of his own initiative the best remedy for pre- 

 venting damage by the moth. As a result of this treatment, 

 his trees were preserved from damage, while those of his 

 neighbors were more or less defoliated. Owing to other 

 duties in 1897, this work of web destruction was neglected 

 until Pali-iot's Day, Aj)ril 19, when they were destroj^ed as 

 usual. This date proved too late, as the caterpillars had 

 emerged and w<Te crawling over the trees in great numbers, 

 and as a result many of the trees were defoliated. i\Ir. Mer- 

 rifield stated that he examined several webs April 1, and 

 found that they contained masses of cater})illars, hence 

 thought it safe to delay treatment until the holiday men- 

 tioned. Particular interest attaches to Mr. Myrrifield's state- 



