BUREAU OF ENTOMOLOGY. 619 



The authorities in all of the infested States are cooperating with 

 the bureau in the same way as pointed out in previous reports. 



The work which has been done has consisted in cleaning up the 

 land along the roadsides, by the removal of underbrush, and, so far 

 as possible, the favorite food trees, creosoting of gipsy-moth egg- 

 clusters, and spraying at the proper time of the year. This work 

 has gone so far, although there is still some roadside work to be done 

 through the woodlands, that it seems the time will soon come when 

 more time can be devoted toward other methods of spread than by 

 carriage of caterpillars dropping from trees upon vehicles passing 

 over the main-traveled roads leading through the most densely in- 

 fested territory. 



The inspection of shipments of various forest products from the 

 infested area to points beyond has been continued, since this is one of 

 the important methods of preventing the spread for long distances. 

 Nurseries in the infested districts are inspected for the most part by 

 the States, but where the State service is not sufficient, employees of 

 the bureau are detailed for this purpose. Thus, during the autumn 

 of 1911 and the spring of 1912 several men were loaned to the Massa- 

 chusetts nursery inspector for this work, and during the past winter 

 a cleaning up of the woodland around the borders of the more im- 

 portant nurseries has been completed. The underbrush, poor trees, 

 and, so far as possible, favorite food trees have been removed, to pre- 

 vent the breeding of the moths and to lessen the danger of the nursery 

 stock becoming infested from the surroundings. The trees left grow- 

 ing in .these areas are treated with sticky bands, and are being 

 watched carefully during the summer of 1912, and all larvte are being 

 destroyed. Applications have been made for shipments of forest 

 products of diiTerent kinds, and from material examined egg-clusters 

 and larvae of the gipsy moth have been removed. Further in this 

 general direction, during July, 1911, when the brown-tail moths were 

 flying, agents of the bureau were detailed to examine at stations on 

 ihe border of the infested area railway trains running from the badly 

 infested territory. As the moths are attracted to light, it seems quite 

 probable that enough moths may fly into passenger trains, where they 

 may ride for long distances, to establish new and important colonies 

 beyond the infested border. During the flight season in this way 887 

 adult brown-tail moths were taken from trains. 



Some experiments with new spraying compounds, with material 

 for sticky bands, and with preparations to use in the place of creo- 

 sote for treating egg clusters of the gipsy moth have been tried, but 

 none of them has been shown to be better than the material already 

 in use. 



During and immediately following the hatching period of the 

 gipsy moth in 1912 unusually high south and southeast winds pre- 

 vailed, from which there has probably been considerable spread of 

 the small larva\ 



The gipsy-moth situation as a whole seems to be better than in the 

 past two or three years. Less woodland is being defoliated and the 

 public is not so much disturbed. The brown-tail moth does not 

 seem to be so serious a post over a large part of (he territory infested 

 as it was two years ago. There are yet many places where it has 

 caused serious damage and discomfort to the people, especially, per- 



