THE BROWN-TAIL MOTH. 23 



would not lease property so located, while those occupying 

 houses near which the caterpillars were abundant often were 

 forced to vacate the same. Mr. L. L. Tower, of the Tower- 

 Cutter Company, Boston, writes us : — 



The year before the browu-tailed moth appeared in my pear 

 orchard at Somerville it produced over two hundred bushels of 

 pears ; the next year the caterpillai'S were on the trees by the 

 bushel, and 1 did not have a pear that or the following year. 

 The damage by the caterpillars was a great annoyance, not only 

 to my tenants but to the neighboi's. As a consequence, my ten- 

 ants moved out and left the house vacant for about a year. 



Mrs. E. Gibson, 72 Beacon Street, Somerville, says: — 



"We were all badly poisoned by these moths. We did not know 

 that they were here when we took the house, and so we have had 

 to bear the consequences. My husband spoke to the owner of 

 these premises, and told him that unless something was done we 

 could not stay. He said he knew they were dreadful thiugs to 

 have around, but did not seem to be able to do anything. The 

 trees were eaten up by them, and we had no fruit whatever. 

 They troubled us more or less all summer. They seemed to be 

 worse here than anywhere, but all our neighbors were troubled 

 with them and tried to get rid of them. The trees and grass were 

 covered with them. We used to take brooms and tr}' to sweep 

 them off the piazza, and we had to guard against their getting 

 into the house. They were a regular plague. 



Mrs. Alexander (iarboti, 160 Park Street, Somerville, 

 says : — 



The first time these caterpillars troubled us was in 1897, and 

 then they were terrible. Everyone about here complained of them. 

 They were not only outside but inside the house. I found them 

 on my pillows. One of my tenants moved away on account of 

 them. My tenant who lived up stairs could not open lior windows. 

 The caterpillars were all over her piazza, and she could not sit 

 there because of them. She would brush the caterpillars up with 

 the broom into a good pile, and then call me to look at them ; aiul 

 I would have to hold the pan while slie swept them up, and tiieu 

 we carried them to the back yard and l)urned them. Tliis was 

 very bad for me, and [)oisoned me dreadfully. .My neck was all 

 swollen up and red with a rash. 



