April, '10] HITCHIXG3: SADDLED-PROMINEXT OUTBREAK 147 



go to prove that the insect has never occurred in great abundance at 

 any one period. 



Extent of Infestation. According to the writings of Doctor Felt 

 in New York and Professor Sanderson in New Hampshire this pest 

 has apparently been working its way east across northern New York, 

 Vermont and New Hampshire. From thence it has come into Maine. 

 This outbreak was first noticed in 1907. It appeared on the New 

 Hampshire border at Fryeburg, and extended into Androscoggin, 

 Kennebec and Somerset Counties a distance of over 150 miles. In 

 some sections tliis strip w^as at least fifty miles wide. Its ravages 

 are confined principally to the ridges of hard wood growth. Whole 

 woodlots of from ten to several hundred acres have been stripped 

 bare of foliage. It has been a serious blow to the maple sugar in- 

 dustiy of Maine. In one sugar berth in Sidney the owner reported 

 stripping of the tops of the trees in 1907. The following spring 3,000 

 trees were tapped. In the summer of 1908 the trees were completely 

 denuded, but put out a second crop of leaves in the fall. The same 

 trees were tapped last spring and allowed to run the same length of 

 time as on the previous season with the result that only about forty 

 per cent, as much syrup was secured. The trees were again partially 

 stripped during the past season. Undoubtedly many of them will not 

 survive the shock. 



A fifty-acre woodlot of beech which had been stripped more or less 

 completely for three seasons when examined the past fall showed at 

 least fifty per cent of dead trees. 



Orchard Injury. The damage done has not been confined to 

 forest sections, but orchard and shade trees have suffered alike. In 

 many instances whole orchards have been completely stripped of 

 leaves, the fruit standing out on the branches as lone sentinels of the 

 destruction wrought. One orchard that was stripped during the past 

 season was visited on the first of October and the trees were found in 

 full bloom again. Nature was endeavoring to reestablish the promise 

 of seed time and harvest under very discouraging conditions. 



Life History. The life history of this insect is much the same 

 as that of others of the same family, so that it seems unnecessary to 

 go into it in detail. From my notes of 1909 I select the following: 

 "Moths were flying in abundance during the last week of June. 

 Were attracted to light and remained at rest on the house during the 

 day. On June 30th in the orchard of F. H. Morse of Waterford, 

 Oxford County, found many eggs. They were laid singly on the 

 under side of the leaves and a curious fact was noted that but a 

 single egg was found on a leaf, although there were thousands of 



