No. I.j REPORT OF SECRETARY. xiii 



struction of the beauty of foliage and landscape, the cost 

 of prevention of their ravages and destruction of the pests, 

 is a matter of great financial magnitude. To test the judg- 

 ment of those best qualified to give a correct estimate of 

 loss caused by these pests, the secretary wrote to Dr. II. 

 T. Fernald, Mr. E. II. Forbush and A. II. Kirkland, M.S., 

 and the replies were so careful and well considered that we 

 shall copy them for the information of this Board. Dr. II. 

 T. Fernald says : — 



Years ago a number of experts figuring independently came to 

 the conclusion that for farm, market-garden and orchard crops the 

 loss by the attacks of insects in an average year would represent 

 one-tenth of the value of the crop, or about $2,600,000 for Massa- 

 chusetts. Recently, however, prominent entomologists have ex- 

 pressed the opinion that this per cent is too low. Three factors 

 have caused this change : first, the concentration of crops of the 

 same kind into large contiguous acreage ; second, the introduction 

 of over one hundred pests from foreign countries, which have been 

 here long enough to make their presence seriously felt; and, third, 

 the great reduction in the number of insectivorous birds. 



I believe it will be entirely safe to take 15 per cent of the crop 

 valuation of Massachusetts, and that you will be sufficiently con- 

 servative in using that amount as representing part of the damage. 

 I have never seen a cherry tree killed by plant lice, yet I have often 

 seen lice so abundant on cherry trees as to much reduce the crop, 

 which is true of a large proportion of our crops and it is loss of 

 this kind which is covered by the 15 per cent estimate, . . . but 

 how are we to place a money value on the defoliation of an elm 

 tree unless it be repeated year after year until the tree dies? I 

 would be inclined to add, to the 15 per cent estimate already 

 given, $250,000 for labor, apparatus, poison, etc., used in the fight 

 against insects, "and another $250,000 to cover damage actually 

 done, but which cannot be reduced to figures, making a total yearly 

 damage of $4,400,000 for Massachusetts. 



A. H. Kirkland, M.S., says: — 



The best figures available for estimating the loss caused by pests 

 in this State are those of the 1895 census. From the report of 

 this census I have taken figures giving the value of certain crops, 

 notably attacked by insects, and have estimated in each case the 

 probable average reduction in value yearly caused by these pests. 

 The data used are given below. I have tried to make a conserva- 



