546 



NEW JERSEY AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE 



THE GYPSY MOTH. 



\s^.\j4^ 



Porthetria dispar Linn. 



In the report for 1905 there is an account of this insect, with a 

 history of its spread in the United States, the injuries caused by 

 it and the menace of its introduction into ISTew Jersey. It was 

 not known at the time that as a matter of fact the insect had been 



ah-eady introduced into the State by an 

 experimenter, who had, as he believed, 

 perfected a method for its destruction. 

 The matter came to the attention of 

 Mr. A. II. Kirkhnid, superintendent for 

 sii])pvossin£i' the gypsy and In'own-tail 

 UK^ths in ]\rassachusetts, and he at once 

 comminiieated with the office. • Mr. 

 Dickt'rsoii, who was in charge dur- 

 ing the absence of the entomologist, at 

 once visited the point wliere the intro- 

 duction was made, found that there was 

 no inmiediate danger and left the mat- 

 ter f(n- further investigation later. 



On my return, in early April, I took 

 the matter up at once ; found that dur- 

 ing the winter of 1903-190-i a resident 

 of Madison, developing an insecticide, 

 was induced by a friend to try it on the 

 gypsy moth, egg-masses of which were 

 sent in l»y mail for that purpose by the 

 ol)liging friend. The egg-masses were received very- early in 

 spring, were hatched in a greenhouse before any vegetation had 

 started outdoors, and the caterpillars were fed on dwarf maples 

 until outdoor foliage was available. When the larvtp were half 

 grown the ])oison was tested, and a large ])ropurtion were de- 

 stroyed. Uinally, all remaining larva' were destroyed and the 

 £^reenhouse was fumigated with sulphur before it was opened for 

 the summer. I was assured that no eggs were placed outdooi'S and 

 no larvir were allowed to escape. Also, that only one lot was re- 

 ceived ami all were used in the one ]ilaee, near Stanley, in ^[(UTis 

 countv. 



Fig. 9. 



Caterpillar of Gypsy Moth : full 

 ^rown. From Div. Ent. U. S. 

 i)ept. Agl. 



