220 BOARD OF AGRIGULTURE. [Pal). Doc. 



there had not been more than three or four acres all told 

 .stripped by the moth during the season of 1899, scattered colo- 

 nies of considerable size were known to exist in the eastern and 

 northern parts of the city. The residential portion was quite 

 free from the pest. 



1904. — The city of Maiden is now solidly infested by the 

 gypsy moth. It is, in fact, diflficult to find a tree on any of the 

 principal streets which does not bear one or more Qgg clusters, 

 while on some of the trees they may be counted by the thou- 

 sand. In the Edgeworth section hundreds of trees were com- 

 pletely defoliated during the past season, while in the northern 

 and eastern part of the city the stripped trees presented a shock- 

 ing sight at mid-summer. In this city alone at least two hun- 

 dred acres' of woodland and residential districts were completely 

 defoliated. Property owners report sweeping from one to twelve 

 quarts of the caterpillars from house walls every morning dur- 

 ing the feeding season. One resident on Glenwood Street, who 

 kept a fairly accurate account of the caterpillars so obtained, 

 reported that he had captured and destroyed in this way over a 

 barrel of these insects during the summer. Words can hardly 

 describe the terrible condition existing in northern and eastern 

 Maiden at the height of the caterpillar outbreak. From the 

 Medford line to the Saugus line the woodland was practically 

 defoliated. 



Medford. 



1899. — Residential portions of the city were generally in- 

 fested, although no serious damage by the moth took place in 

 that section. In 1899 the large woodland colonies were well 

 known and circumscribed in area, and by means of rigorous 

 measures had been brought under control. At the time the 

 work stopped there was a considerable number of gypsy moth 

 nests occurring throughout these woodland colonies in the 

 northern part of the city, but in the year mentioned not over 

 two acres had been defoliated by the moth. 



1904. — What has been said above of the Maiden conditions 

 for this year holds true of Medford, except that the devastation 

 and annoyance by the insects described must necessarily be 

 amplified to meet the worse condition in Medford. The city 

 is solidly infested from one end to another. In the southern 

 residential portion shade trees on hundreds of private estates 

 were stripped, while the trees in the residential section at West 

 Medford appeared as if swept by fire. Only the most patient, 



