140 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan., 



acre or one that will yield only twelve where we have to cut it 

 up and put it into the silo, and, of course, it takes no more ef- 

 fort to raise one than the other. If there is opportunity we 

 w^ll investigate that a little later perhaps, but there is a matter 

 to come up now which I know a great many of you will be 

 warmly interested in, and that is a paper on the Gypsy Moth 

 in Connecticut, by Dr. W. E. Britton, State Entomologist. 



THE GYPSY MOTH {Porthetria dispar) 

 IN CONNECTICUT. 



(By Dr. W. E. Britton, State Entomologist.) 



Ladies and Gentlemen: As State Entomologist and as 

 Entomologist of the Board of Agriculture, a part of my at- 

 tention has been occupied during the season in attempting to 

 control, and to exterminate if possible, a small gypsy moth 

 colony at Stonington, Conn. 



In order that you may be more familiar, at thp outset, with 

 the gypsy moth problem, I will review briefly the chief facts 

 regarding the introduction of the insect into this country, and 

 its history as a pest in the old world. 



INTRODUCTION FROM EUROPE. 



About thirty-eight years ago, the gypsy moth was intro- 

 duced into Massachusetts from Europe, and during the latter 

 half of this period the insect has been not only a serious pest, 

 but a veritable scourge, to the eastern portion of our sister 

 commonwealth. So far as our knowledge goes, the gypsy 

 moth was first brought to this country by Mr. L. Trouvelot, a 

 French astronomer, artist and naturalist who resided for a few 

 years in Medford, Mass., and who was much interested in silk 

 production ; he reared a number of different kinds of moths, 

 including the gypsy, thinking that some of them might be of 

 value in this connection. 



The gypsy moth escaped accidentally from his breeding 

 cages, and though Trouvelot destroyed all that could be 

 found, he gave public notice of the escape, and warned the 



