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in towns along the border of the present infested area, in order to hmit 

 spread into the remainder of the State. (2) Inspection of threatened 

 territory outside the infested area, where special danger of new 

 infestation exists. (3) Collection, propagation and colonisation of 

 parasites of both the gipsy and the browntail moths. (4) Co-operation 

 with and assistance of towns, municipalities and individuals throughout 

 the infested areas to ameliorate the damage done by the pests, to 

 assist in control on private and public property, and otherwise to 

 carry out the duties prescribed by the statutes. 



Only a part of the State is as yet invaded by the gipsy 

 moth, and the inability of the female to fly limits the manner 

 of its spread and renders scouting on the outer borders of 

 the infested areas very useful ; this is done with the co-operation 

 of the Federal authorities. This only limits or retards the spread 

 of the pest, and the more serious work of suppression in already 

 infested areas by colonising parasites and other measures is 

 costly and laborious and the means far from unlimited. All apple 

 orchards and oaks are carefully examined, especially along lines of 

 traffic, as vehicles appear to be the commonest mode of spreading the 

 pest ; the forests of the White Mountains have probably been saved 

 from attack by these methods. Inspection marks are painted on trees 

 and also on the nearest point to them on the highway, and in areas 

 infested in the winter of 1913-14, all trees for several yards round the 

 points of infestation were banded with tanglefoot at a height of 5 or 6 

 feet. Scouting along the main roads northwards of the infested area 

 showed no apparent infestation. The fact that both the brownitail 

 and gipsy moth are imported insects makes the use of imported parasitic 

 and predaceous insects difficult, as some of these are not so easily 

 acclimatised as their host and the native American insect enemies of 

 the pest are, at present at all events, of little value. Some of the 

 imported parasites are doing good work, but others tend to disperse 

 rapidly, and not a few multiply so slowly that unless artificially 

 assisted no great results can be expected from them. Two temporary 

 laboratories for this purpose have been established and Apanteles 

 lacteicolor has been bred in quantity. Food material was provided in 

 abundance at the right time by keeping brown-tail nests in cold storage. 

 The cocoons of the parasites w^ere sorted out carefully into lots of 1,000 

 each and taken to suitable places in small weather-proof boxes with 

 perforations on one side through which the insects could escape as 

 they emerged. The boxes were nailed to the trunk of a tree, which 

 was w^ell smeared with tanglefoot to prevent attack by ants. Anastatus 

 hifasciatus, a parasite of the gipsy moth, has been similarly distributed 

 in 478 localities of the State in the spring of 1914. Experimental work 

 is now in progress for extensive colonisation of Schedius kuvatuie in 

 the same w ay, and if this insect will live as far north as New Hampshire 

 it should be of great value. Eight colonies of Compsilura concimmia 

 were distributed, and efforts are being made to spread Calosonm 

 sycophanta ; attempts to spread the wilt disease have not been satis- 

 factory. Great efforts are being made to interest individual property 

 owners in the question and to secure their co-operation by circulating 

 information, and stress is laid on the importance of careful study of a 

 given infected locality so as to secure consistent and practicable 

 control measures. 



