No. 4.J GYPSY MOTH IN THE LEGISLATURE. 37 



THE GYPSY MOTH IN THE LEGISLATURE. 



BY MERRICK A. MORSE, BELCHE.RTOWN. 



The most undesirable and destructive emigrant ever brought 

 to our shores is the gypsy moth. It is a complete counter- 

 part of at least one of the plagues of Egypt, for did not the 

 Lord say, " I will bring the locusts into thy coast ; and they 

 shall cover the face of tiie earth that one cannot be able to 

 see the earth ; and they shall eat the residue of that which is 

 escaped, which remaineth unto you from the hail, and shall 

 eat every tree which groweth for you out of the field ; and 

 they shall fill thy houses, and the houses of thy servants, and 

 the houses of all the Egyptians." And we read that the locusts 

 were so destructive that not a green thing was left in the 

 trees, nor an herb in all the land of Egypt. 



Many of the best citizens of the district infested by the 

 gypsy moth came before the committee on agriculture to testify 

 that this insect had invaded their homes, that their houses and 

 fences were literally covered, that door steps had to be swept 

 before callers could enter, that it was impossible to walk the 

 street without crushing these nauseating insects, and that 

 real estate was depreciating in value. One man testified 

 that he killed them morning, noon and night, without per- 

 ceptibly lessening the number ; and if perchance one fell into 

 a pail of water and remained only a few hours, horses refused 

 to drink from that pail for several days. In riding through 

 forests that are infested, they can be distinctly heard while 

 eating, and the stench is anything but pleasant. From a 

 sanitary stand-point, if from no other, the State should do all 

 in its power to exterminate this pest. 



As the locusts of Egypt left no green thing in the tree 

 nor an herl) in the field, so the gypsy moth in Europe has 



