STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. II9 



awaken the people to an interest in the matter and locate as 

 definitely as possible the places where the moths appeared, as a 

 guide to the extermination of the nests the coming winter. In 

 August Miss Patch again visited that section of the State, and 

 we append her report of the situation as she found it at that 

 time. 



As the only feasible way of destroying these insects seems to 

 be the gathering and burning of the winter nests, it would 

 appear that with a small appropriation from the legislature, and 

 the cooperation of the citizens of the infested places, the State 

 could be practically freed from the terrible pest during the com- 

 ing winter. 



REPORT OF MISS PATCH. 



The examination of Kittery and vicinity which I made August 

 20-24, 1904, at your request shows the situation as regards the 

 brown-tail moth as follows : 



The localities which I knew to be infested last spring were 

 visited first, — chiefly the pear trees scattered or in groups in the 

 village itself. Each of these trees so far as examined had at 

 least one brood of young caterpillars. In was evident that these 

 were a new immigration, for nowhere was there a last season's 

 nest to be seen, all of those which were common last spring hav- 

 ing been carefully destroyed. 



Several orchards which were nearly half a mile outside the 

 infested district last spring were next visited and I found the 

 young caterpillars common in these, though the broods were not 

 so numerous as in the village itself. Short excursions mto the 

 large wild cherry tangle back from the Shepherd Hill road next 

 showed that the moths had scattered egg-clusters here, for I 

 came upon a young brood every few yards, especially upon the 

 outskirts. The. apple orchards near here, although free from 

 winter nests last spring, were also infested. On Badger's island 

 one wild cherry bush contained over one thousand caterpillars. 



Near the navy yard old worn-out apple trees incapable of 

 bearing apples still put forth leaves enough to tempt tent cater- 

 pillars, web worms and brown-tail moths. Along New March 

 street and vicinity, pear trees worthless as far as fruit is con- 

 cerned, the numerous small pears being cracked to the center, 



