4^4 Forty-sixth Report on the State Museum 



them; banding the trees with tarred paper to prevent the ascent of the 

 caterpillars, and Avith burlaps for a hiding-])lace where they could 

 easily be destroyed; burning brush and infested shrubbery after kero- 

 sening it; burning out nests in holes of trees and cementing; 

 inspecting all vehicles going out of the infested territory for the 

 caterpillar. 



The extent of the work done will more fully appear from the follow- 

 ing statement published by the committee, covering operations from 

 April ], 1891, to December 31, 1891: 



Trees: Number inspected 3,591 ,981 



Xumber infested 213 , 828 



Number cleaned of eggs 212, 423 



Number sprayed 177,415 



Number cemented 1 9 , 296 



Number burlapped 68 , 720 



Number banded 12 , 000 



Buildings: Number inspected 87,536 



Number infested 3 , 647 



Number cleaned of eggs 3 ,574 



What is regarded as a conservative estimate, based on the daily 

 reports made to the committee, shows the aggregate nimiber of egg- 

 clusters destroyed during the first six weeks of the season, to be 757,760. 

 Their bulk, according to Director Forbusb, was nearly eight cart loads. 

 The average number of eggs in a cluster being 468, there were over 

 353 millions of eggs destroyed during that lime. The largest number 

 of men employed at any one time was 242. 



At the close of the year 1891, covered by the report referred to, the 

 insect was known in twenty-six towns in Massachusetts, over an area of 

 200 square miles. No instance of its occurrence outside of the State of 

 Massachusetts had been authenticated. 



Through the kindness of Prof. Forbush, director of the field-work of 

 the Gypsj'^-moth Committee, in sending me for use on this occasion a 

 typewritten copy of his address before the State Board of Agriculture, 

 in December last, I am able to make extracts therefrom relating to the 

 operations of last year (1892). 



The appropriation made by the Legislature to the State Board of 

 Agriculture for the prosecution of the work in 1892 was $75,000. 

 Operations were conducted much in the same manner as in the preceding 

 year, but after thoroughh^ testing the principal means of control employed 

 in this country and in Europe for this and similar insects, they proved 



