542 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 
defoliated in many parts of the state, but the pests were present in force 
on shade trees in the streets of many villages, and by dropping on 
passers, crawling under foot, occupying piazzas and sides of houses, brought 
themselves to the attention of many who would otherwise have been 
indifferent to their presence. The loss suffered through this pest last 
summer can never be expressed in exact figures, but, when it is remem- 
bered that these caterpillars inflicted severe injuries in about half of the 
counties in the state, in not a few instances defoliating tracts of many 
acres in extent, it is seen at once that the total damage inflicted must be 
enormous. Outbreaks of this insect are more or less local, and usually do 
not last more than two to four years in a place, hence in some sections the 
pest was much more injurious than in previous years, while in others it was 
not asabundant. From Otsego county came as distressing reports as from 
any place. The following is from a letter by Rev. H. U. Swinnerton, of 
Cherry Valley: ‘‘ Stopping trains is not a circumstance to what we have 
here in the way of stopping things with worms. We would stop the 
progress of the age, if it got across the way our worms were going.” 
He then proceeds to narrate how, because of the abundance of the 
caterpillars, the train he was aboard was stalled three times between 
two stations about eight miles apart. Delaware county appears to 
have suffered very much, as the pest has been in certain localities 
for the past two years. H. E. Wilford of Andes writes: ‘“ We are being 
devoured ... by maple worms. Can you give us any assistance?” 
Dr J. N. Wright of Grand Gorge informed me that the forest worm 
was making bad work with the maples in his vicinity, and requested 
information regarding the pest. In many parts of Greene county this 
insect was very destructive. In Lewis county C. C. Merriam of Lyon 
Falls writes that the forest worms are worse than he had ever seen them 
in his life. Many similar expressions could be taken from the letters of 
correspondents living in other parts of the state. During the latter part 
of May and in early June a large amount of the correspondence of the 
office related to this pest. Had it not been for most energetic efforts 
on the part of both local authorities and private parties, a large pro- 
portion of the thousands of sugar maples adorning the village of Saratoga 
Springs would have been defoliated. So serious was the situation that a 
special circular was issued and distributed through the village, in order 
to place in the hands of every person concise directions for controlling 
the pests. Shade trees in Albany, Schenectady and other cities and 
towns along the Mohawk river were attacked, and in a number of 
instances the trees were stripped of leaves. In certain towns 10 cents a 
