BUREAU OF ENTOMOLOGY. 511 



Spraying operations were begun at the end of May and continued 

 to the end of the fiscal year. Ten large spraying machines were kept 

 at work in Massachusetts on the roadsides through the worst-infested 

 woodlands, and some work was done in New Hampshire. The spray- 

 ing was not so successful this year as last, on account of the unusual 

 number of rainy days, the rain preventing the application of the 

 poison and washing off much of that which was applied. 



WORK IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 



No summer work was done in New Hampshire in 1900, but in the 

 latter part of October scouting operations were begun, and an effort 

 was made to keep 100 men in the State during the winter; but it 

 was not easy to maintain this number on account of the difficulty of 

 getting men who were willing to leave home. A severe blizzard and 

 snowstorm late in December coated the trees and covered the ground 

 to such a depth that scouting operations had to be discontinued tem- 

 poraril}'. The work was continued into June, 1910. All of the pre- 

 viously known infested territory was scouted, but not so thoroughly 

 as in previous years, the seriousness of the infestation in the southern 

 part of the State rendering it desirable to spend the time in applying 

 creosote to the egg clusters along the roadsides. The orchards and 

 woodlands away from the highways were not touched. 



During the fiscal year 1908-9 about 50 towns were added to the 

 infested area ; the present year 21 were added as the result of this 

 careful scouting. In several of these new towns only single egg clus- 

 ters were found, and in none of them were there any large colonies. 

 There are at present 121 infested cities and towns in New Hampshire, 

 wnth an area of about 3,500 square miles. There seems to be little 

 hope of controlling the gipsy moth in New Hampshire until a local 

 organization is effected in each city and town, under state super- 

 vision, and a constant concerted effort is begun. The scouting opera- 

 tions were continued outside the area found to be infested, in order 

 to make certain tliat there has been no further spread. 



The brown-tail moth situation in New Hampshire was found to be 

 serious. The winter nests were removed from the highway trees in 

 most of the towns, and many property owners cut them from orchard 

 and shade trees near their dwellings, but here again there is necessity 

 for concerted state and township work. 



WORK IN MAINE. 



In Maine the trees in the infested localities were burlapped and 

 tended. The worst places were sprayed. In most of the woodland 

 colonies the underbrush has been cut out and the tree^ put in the 

 most favorable condition possible. Scouting operations were con- 

 tinued throughout the winter and spring months. Four towns were 

 added to the infested area, but in these only incipient infestations were 

 located, the worst one being at a market garden in South Portland, 

 where 22 egg clusters were found and treated with creosote. All of 

 the known infested localities in this State are in shape for future 

 work. The territory now known to be occupied by the gipsy moth 

 in Maine is about 800 square miles. The gipsy moth colony pre- 

 viously existing, and referred to in earlier reports, at Soldiers' Home, 



