144 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan., 



the kindness of the Superintendent, Mr. Kirkland, we were 

 able to procure the services of one of the trained scouts of the 

 Massachusetts force, Mr. C. S. Mixter. Beginning March 

 20th, he worked two weeks around Stonington, during which 

 time he examined the trees upon about five square miles of 

 territory, from Quiambog Cove on the west to Wequetequock 

 on the east, and about as far north as the Hull estate on North 

 Main street. He was quite certain that the whole of the in- 

 fested area lay well inside of these limits, but two weeks was 

 too short a time to make a careful search, and it was afterward 

 learned that many egg-masses had been overlooked and sub- 

 sequently hatched. 



About five acres of brush land near the velvet mill was cut 

 over and burned during April. 



FUNDS. 



From the first, Col. Brown, Secretary of this Board, has 

 shown much interest in the work, and has visited the place 

 several times. At a meeting of the Board in Hartford, it was 

 voted that $i,ooo be made available, if needed, for suppressing 

 the insect. Governor Roberts and associates of the Board of 

 Control assured us that if we could not handle the pest with 

 the funds at our disposal, that more money would be forth- 

 coming. At a later meeting of the Board another $i,ooo was 

 appropriated. The Board held a meeting at Stonington 

 August 29th, and inspected the suppression work. 



So far it has not seemed necessary to use all of the money 

 so kindly placed at our disposal. The total cost of the work 

 up to this time amounts to about $1,700, and we have drawn 

 only $800 from the treasurer of the Board of Agriculture, the 

 balance being taken from the appropriation made by the 

 legislature to the Station for the control of insect pests. 



DESTROYING EGG-MASSES. 



Egg-masses can best be destroyed by soaking with creosote 

 oil applied by means of a brush. A little lamp-black is added 

 to the oil in order to show which egg-masses have been treated. 

 If we attempt to remove the egg-masses from the trees we are 

 liable to break them and scatter the eggs. 



