Commissioner of Agriculture 197 



scouting inspection 



This phrase relates to a class of work which is taken up irregu- 

 larly during the year, the object of which is to locate the presence 

 of any deleterious pests. The possibility that the gipsy moth or 

 brown-tail moth may have been brought into the State over the 

 highways or railroads, has made it necessary to examine the terri- 

 tory with care and with a view to locating the pests if present. 



Early in the winter of 1915, we sent six men to the eastern end 

 of Long Island, and to Fishers Island, to examine the section for 

 brown-tail moth, several nests of which were found in 1914. Only 

 two small nests of brown-tail moths were discovered, and it is 

 hoped that the inspections of this winter will not reveal any fur- 

 ther infestation there. It is believed, though we have no proof 

 on this point, that some disease or other is affecting the develop- 

 ment of this pest. 



During the summer we finished the examination of practically 

 all shipments of nursery stock that were received in this State five 

 years previous to the inspection provided by the Federal Horti- 

 cultural Board. A great many parks and private estates were 

 carefully inspected and no gipsy moths or brown-tail moths were 

 discovered. 



GIPSY MOTH AND BROWN-TAIL MOTH 



A few years ago a small outbreak of brown-tail moths was found 

 near Portehester, the moths having been introduced the year previ- 

 ous by means of nursery stock from the east. That colony was 

 entirely destroyed as a result of prompt methods and there have 

 been no recent developments there. 



Five years ago a small outbreak of gipsy moths was found in 

 Ontario county, but two years attention to their eradication freed 

 that section of them, as shown by frequent inspections up to the 

 present time. We have, therefore, only two known suspicious 

 localities : one on Long Island for brown-tail moths ; and one near 

 Mount Kisco, where gipsy moths were discovered in 1914. 



The following article, giving full information of the outbreaks 

 of the gipsy and brown-tail moth in New York State, was pre- 

 pared by the writer and furnished to the New York Forestry As- 

 sociation. It was published in the July. 1915, bulletin of the 

 association. 



