No. 4.] THE GYPSY MOTH. 95 



can tar the trees and catch the canker worm, and you can 

 destroy the nests of the tent caterpillar very easily. The 

 gypsy moth feeds by night. You cannot go around in the 

 night and hunt him with a dark lantern, although we have 

 had to do that to learn something of his habits. So you see 

 how dangerous the creature is. But if the farmers will 

 destroy the eggs they will then check the insect. There is 

 a whole colony of from five hundred to fourteen hundred 

 eggs right in one cluster. Take the cluster off in your hand 

 and burn it, and there is an end of them. That is the only 

 way in which we can effectually destroy the gypsy moth. 



Question. On what kind of trees do they lay their 

 eggs, and how far from the ground? 



Mr. Forbush. You find them usually about eight or 

 ten feet from the ground, but where they are plenty I have 

 known them to go up ninety feet, clear out to the ends of 

 the twigs on the largest limbs. There we have to get at 

 them by shooting off the twigs, if we cannot climb to them. 



Question. What is the prospect for next year ? 



Mr. Forbush. When we went through the infested ter- 

 ritory last year, even with the limited knowledge that our 

 men then had, it was very easy to see eggs on the trees ; 

 to-day it is very hard to find them. The. probability is that 

 next year, if we have men enough, the moths will only 

 appear in places where it is now impossible to get at their 

 eggs ; and, with the experience that we now have, I think 

 we can eradicate them. Comparing the numbers that we 

 found last year with the numbers we find now, I should say 

 our spring and summer work had disposed of about ninety 

 per cent of the insects. That is, we have disposed of the 

 increase, and there were only ten per cent as many found 

 when we went through the territory this fall as were found 

 last spring. 



Secretary Sessions. Then the question of success or 

 failure depends entirely upon the appropriation, because the 

 money has almost all been spent? 



Mr. Forbush. It certainly does depend upon the 

 appropriation. There is no great work which can be accom- 

 plished without money. I do not want to say where the 

 moth is, or where it is not. I do not think it is easy to do 



