172 JOURNAL OF ECOMONIC ENTOMOLOGY [Vol. 14 



that what Mr. Marlatt has given us today is extremely instructive as to 

 the aims and objects of the Federal Horticultural Board. 

 The next paper on the program is by T. J. Headlee. 



THE PRESENT STATUS OF THE GIPSY MOTH IN NEW JERSEY 



By Thomas J. Headlee, Ph.D., State Entomologist, New Brunswick, N. J. 



One year ago it was thought that New Jersey did not entertain the 

 Gipsy Moth within her borders just as many other states in this country 

 now believe that they are not acting as hosts for this insect. In July 

 1920 caterpillars of the Gipsy moth were found feeding upon both ever- 

 green and deciduous foliage within the limits of Duke's Park near 

 Somerville. It was evident from the outset that the infestation was of 

 long standing and probably large. Mr. A. F. Burgess, in charge of the 

 Moth Control Service for the United States Government was promptly 

 invited to meet the New Jersey authorities and to examine the situation. 

 Messrs. Burgess, Mclntyre, Weiss and the writer went to the Somer- 

 ville district on the arrival of the two above gentlemen first mentioned, 

 and after a cursory examination of the situation, during which Mr. 

 Burgess discovered a vigorous specimen of Calosoma sycophanta, sat 

 down to plan out the procedure. 



Logically it seemed that the first thing to be done was to find out 

 the extent of the local infestation and the second thing was to find out 

 whether the Duke Farms Company had disposed of any of its surplus 

 trees, where in the park area such disposal may have originated and 

 where such material as had been disposed of had been sent. Mr. 

 Burgess agreed to send into New Jersey some of his trained gipsy moth 

 scouts to make a preliminary survey, and Mr. Weiss agreed to look into 

 the business relations of the Duke Farms Company relative to the 

 question of sending out surplus stock. 



Accordingly the gipsy moth scouts made their appearance a couple 

 of weeks later, and before they had finished with the Somerville area 

 determined that at least ninety (90) sqiiare miles were scatteringly 

 infested. It seemed that the center of the infestation lay in a thirty 

 .acre block of blue spruces. Inasmuch as these spruces were imported 

 not less than ten or more than twelve years ago from Belgium and 

 Holland it seemed likely that the infestation was brought over with 

 the blue spruces at that tim^e. Owing to the relatively unfavorable 

 nature of the spruce foliage the insect had been a number of years in 

 getting sufficient start to move out of the spruce. Furthermore, the 

 egg masses were darker colored than those found in New England and 

 this fact su])ported the belief that the infestation originated in Europe. 



