No. 4.] GYPSY MOTH.- 267 



Serious outbreaks also occurred at Arlington, Belmont 

 and Watertown, and to a smaller degree at Lexington, 

 Woburn and Lynn. During a day's drive through the in- 

 fested territory early in July the committee saw all told at 

 least one hundred acres of woodland practically defoliated 

 by the moth. By the last of June so formidable had become 

 the caterpillar plague and so unendurable the nuisance that 

 the mayors of four cities in the northern metropolitan dis- 

 trict consulted with the Governor and Legislature near the 

 close of the last session, asking for legislative relief. Their 

 request for aid by special legislation made at such a late date 

 was not granted. At Maiden and Melrose municipal funds 

 were drawn on to pay ten cents per quart for the caterpillars 

 at the time of greatest damage. The insects were gathered 

 by hand, mainly by children, and carried in all kinds of 

 receptacles. While almost incredible numbers of the larvae 

 were destroyed in this way, there is no doubt that this care- 

 less method of collecting the insects has resulted in their 

 increased distribution ; as a matter of fact, only a small 

 reduction in the number of egg masses, even in the largest 

 colonies, was accomplished by this method. 



Present Condition of the Infested Territory. 

 The present condition of the infested territory is indeed 

 serious. From Waltham to the sea there are now a larere 

 number of well-established woodland colonies, which wait 

 but for a favorable season to greatly extend their area. In 

 such colonies the egg clusters may be found by the thousand, 

 and here next season there will be outbreaks as bad, if not 

 worse, than those of 1902. These strong colonies are not 

 only a menace to the woodlands where they occur, but serve 

 also as plague spots from which a large area of surrounding 

 farm or residential territory may become infested. Thus if 

 they are neglected they easily spread farther and farther into 

 non-infested territory. We believe these colonies are en- 

 titled to special mention, since in our judgment they consti- 

 tute the most important feature of the infested territory. 

 As long as the woodlands are infested the moth will abound 

 throuofhout the entire district. 



