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Professor Riley. There is no question of that, if it is allowed to take its course. 

 That is what makes it so vitally interesting to me, and why I am so impatient of any 

 efforts to simply check it. I have nothing to say about checking it ; I speak for 

 stamping it out. Mr. Scudder simply says he doesn't think it will be exterminated. 

 As to how much of any given territory one individual is capable of critically examin- 

 ing, a man who is capable of distinguishing between this caterpillar and others, 

 doing nothing else, would, in my judgment, be able easily to go over a squ are mile of 

 ground a day, except in dense forest. 



Professor Shaler. I don't think so— nothing like it. If the work was done closely 

 (and two together would do better work than one) my impression is they would be 

 doing good work to get over 100 acres a day. 



Professor Riley. Well, say 100 acres 



Professor Shaler. If we could get from the college say 40 young men as inspectors, 

 we would have 4,000 acres a day inspected, and my impression is that the region 

 covers about 10,000 acres. That area can be thoroughly inspected by 20 parties of 

 selected men doing nothing else. They should mark the infested trees and plat them 

 on a map. As we are no longer a paid commission, I would devote that money to 

 experts. We want the best expert we can select to superintend the actual applica- 

 tion of the remedies. When a tree is marked as infested, let it be numbered so and 

 80, and when it is sprayed, let an account be taken of that tree, so that by some sys- 

 tem of checking we can find whether every tree has been disposed of or not. 



Professor Riley. The suggestion seems to me eminently wise. But I suppose you 

 could get the leading citizens in a community interested also? 



Mr. Sessions. I don't believe you can get the college boys to come. 



Professor Riley. Not if you paid them ? It would be an excellent education for 

 agricultural students, and if you offered them $100 each you would have no difficulty 

 in getting them, I think. 



Profes-ior Shaler. What month should the work be done in ? 



Professor Riley. As far as I can learn, the month of June. I believe that about 

 the second week in June will be the time to strike, after having made all your plans, 

 got your forces ready, and trained your men. It may be that the thing is not prac- 

 ticable, but I can see nothing impracticable. It is simply a question of money and 

 men. After this one thorough effort you need not ask for another appropriation; 

 everybody will be interested, and then you could afford to offer a big reward for any 

 eggs that might escape. The attempt is well worth making. 



Mr. Sessions. A great obstacle is in procuring help you can depend on. 



Professor Riley. Let me make one other suggestion : While the infested area is 

 stated in the rough at 50 square miles, from what Professor Shaler said, there would 

 probably be large portions of it that would require nothing but inspection. Now, 

 wherever there are large trees difficult to climb, I would certainly take the precau- 

 tion to ring or band them, because that will prevent any stray caterpillars from 

 climbing up those trees. No caterpillars will ascend such trees, and if any escape, 

 you will find them at the foot of the trees. European experience shows this. 



Professor Shaler. Where can we get on the track of the mixture they use in 

 Euiope for that purpose? 



Professor Riley. You can use printer's ink for that purpose. In Newark I recom- 

 mended the use of the fire department for spraying certain very tall elm trees. 



Professor Shaler. I presume we could make such an arrangement with the fire 

 departments. 



Mr. Craig. We have an engine that could be so used. 



Professor Riley. I would modify my objection to egg collecting just so far that in 

 the case of large trees it would be advisable to do the work prior to ajstivation. I 

 think boys could go over them^ and in this direction winter work would be advisable. 

 It would also be advisable to have these large trees very carefully inspected for the 

 eggs, but I do not believe you would be justified in attempting to destroy the eggs 

 over the whole area. 



