Xo. 4.] THE GYPSY MOTH. 213 



at once. Therefore much of the work already done in these 

 localities was wasted, as the caterpillars hatched from eggs 

 scattered about on the ground and in the brush, and crawled 

 in all directions seeking food, spreading into adjoining estates 

 before anything could be done to cheek them. 



As far as the clearing *of infested localities of the eggs of 

 the moth had progressed in the previous fall, every effort had 

 been made to do thorough work. When this work was inter- 

 rupted by the snow the plan was to resume it in the spring ; 

 but, as no work could be done in the spring, there were many 

 infested localities in which no eggs were destroyed. 



The task of burlapping the trees in the infested region was 

 begun as soon as the force was fairly organized, and was fin- 

 ished none too soon, for by the time the necessary number of 

 trees had been banded with burlap the caterpillars were seek- 

 ing its shelter. An attempt was made to reduce the number 

 of caterpillars as quickly as possible by repeated examinations 

 of the burlaps, thus preventing the moths' reinfesting local- 

 ities from which they had been exterminated and spreading 

 into localities which had never been infested. As the season 

 advanced, the increase of the moth in some localities where it 

 had not been possible to gather the eggs necessitated the em- 

 ployment of a larger number of men than ever before. The 

 force was increased as rapidly as was compatible with the 

 selection, examination, organization and instruction of the men, 

 until three hundred and sixty-four employees were upon the 

 pay roll. Even with this force, which was as large as could 

 be properly organized, trained and equipped in the short time 

 left for burlapping, it was impossible to care for all the terri- 

 tory and prevent occasional injury to foliage in certain places 

 where, had the appropriation been made in time, it had been 

 planned to examine the trees early in the season and to destroy 

 all eggs found. 



As the caterpillars were nearly all hatched early in the 

 season and their development was exceedingly rapid during 

 May and June, and as, owing to the lateness of the appropria- 

 tion, very little could be done to check them before the middle 

 of June, their ravages made more showing during L895 than in 

 any other year since 1891. The moths appeared in ward 16, 

 Boston, on Sargent Street, near where the inspection of the 



