No. 4.] THE GYPSY MOTH. 205 



to transform and lay their eggs, as it was believed that they 

 could be more economically destroyed in the egg form. In 

 one case in Woburn arrangements have been made to cut the 

 wood on the land and burn it, together with the bushes and dry 

 leaves. In other places men have searched the trees and 

 ground for the egg-clusters, destroying them as fast as found 

 by the application of creosote oil. The search of the remain- 

 ing forest land is being still continued, with the hope of locating 

 all infested places before the green leaves again appear, bring- 

 ing with them the caterpillars. 



The infested territory outside the forest land has been care- 

 fully looked after, and that part of it reported as apparently 

 cleared of the moths has been proved in most cases to be free 

 from them. In other places that have been carefully attended 

 to for two or three seasons very few caterpillars have been 

 found. In fact, the condition of the territory other than 

 forest land is better than the committee had expected to be 

 able to report it. A few places outside of forest land have 

 been found considerably infested, notably one in ward 16, 

 Boston, but none in either forest or open land outside the 

 limits of the territory heretofore reported as infested. 



The committee has for the past three years recommended 

 the appropriation of all the money that could be economi- 

 cally expended in the work of extermination, and in each year 

 warned the Legislature that any other policy would delay and 

 imperil the final successful result. In 1893 the committee 

 reported plans for the year that would necessitate an appro- 

 priation of $165,000. Only $100,000 was appropriated. In 

 1894 the plans and recommendations called for $165,000. 

 Only $100,000 was appropriated. In 1895 the plans and 

 recommendations called for $200,000. Only $150,000 was 

 appropriated. The result has been what the committee has 

 feared and warned the Legislature to expect, viz., the moth 

 has spread to a large extent in the great forest area, within 

 the bounds of the infested territory, and, while the lands 

 other than woodlands are in an encouraging condition, more 

 new places have been found in the woods than have been 

 stamped out in such lands. 



In the past three years the committee has been obliged to 

 report that, in addition to the drawback of smaller appropri- 



