59 



were short pamphlets, but were ably prepared, and were uudoubtedly 

 productive of very considerable good. 



With the founding of the State Agricultural Experiment Station, 

 under the Hatch Act, Prof, C. H. Fernald, professor of zoology at the 

 Massachusetts Agricultural College at Amherst, was appointed ento- 

 mologist to the station. Prof. Fernald's work has been practically like 

 that of most other station entomologists, and he has published several 

 important bulletins. The ones for which there has been the greatest 

 demand are No. 5 on household pests, which was the outgrowth of 

 original studies which Prof. Fernald had made in this direction, and 

 No. 12 containing the work upon the bud moth, si)ittle insects, and 

 several other injurious species, all based upon original observation. 

 The most imi>ortant portion of his work has not yet been published. 

 It comprehends the scientific results of his observations as entomo- 

 logical adviser to the gypsy- motli committee of the State board of agri- 

 culture. That these results will prove of great value the writer is in 

 full position to assert, as he has had the pleasure of seeing many of 

 Prof. Fernald's experiments in the course of procedure, and has been 

 greatly impressed by the ability and care with which tliey are being 

 carried on. Prof. Fernald has also for some years held the position of 

 entomologist to the State board of agriculture. 



The work upon the gypsy moth, by the way, which has been done by 

 the State of Massachusetts since 1889 is one of the most remarkable 

 ])ieces of work, judging by results, which has yet been done in economic 

 entomology. The operations have been carried on by a committee of 

 the State board of agriculture and the means have been furnished by 

 large annual appropriations by the State legislature. Three hundred 

 and twenty-five thousand dollars have already been appropriated. A 

 territory comprising something over 100 square miles was infested by 

 the insect, which occurred in such extraordinary numbers as to destroy 

 many trees and almost to threaten the ultimate extinction of living veg- 

 etation, not only within the infested territory, but in all localities to 

 which it might spread. It is unnecessary to detail the steps by which 

 relief was brought about. Mistakes were undoubtedly made at first, 

 and it is to the work of the present committee that the main credit is 

 due. The infested territory has been reduced by one- half, and within 

 the districts in which the gypsy moth at present exists it is, practically 

 speaking, a comparatively rare species. The future of the insect is, 

 however, problematical. The continuance of sufficiently large api)ro- 

 priations from the State legislature to enable the work to be carried on 

 on its present scale is doubtful, and yet those in charge believe that 

 still larger appropriations are necessary to bring about extermination. 

 They are confident, however, that with sufficient means the insect can 

 be absolutely exterminated from the State of Massachusetts. With the 

 legislature disinclined to continue the large appropriations, the methods 

 of the committee at present pursued will have to be seriously altered. 



