No. 4.] GYPSY MOTH. 233 



as verified by Mr. N. I. Bowditch of this committee. At 

 Billerica, Mass., a small colony has developed near the 

 centre of the town ; while Gloucester, Mass., has also 

 become slightly infested, doubtless through insects brought 

 in on vehicles. North Andover is also infested. 



Present Danger from the Moth. 



The committee has not thought it necessary in this report 

 to go into the matter of the damage and injury caused by 

 the gypsy moth, since these facts are matters of common 

 knowledge. The annoyance caused by the caterpillars, the 

 injury to crops, trees and shrubber}^, the devastation of 

 woodlands occurring during recent j^ears, are only too 

 familiar to the residents of the infested districts. There 

 are two points, however, on which the committee wishes to 

 place particular emphasis. We refer to the killing of trees 

 by the moth, and the danger of spreading into non-infested 

 territory. 



It has been held by many well-informed parties that strip- 

 ping by caterpillars, while it might check the growth of 

 trees, would not result in their death. We have therefore 

 watched with particular interest certain areas in Maiden and 

 southern Melrose, where the insects have been allowed to 

 devastate woodlands annually for the last three years. Our 

 examinations show that in these sections hundreds of large 

 white pines had been killed in every case as the result of a 

 single stripping by the insects. The deciduous trees have 

 suifered to a less extent, but three defoliations and in some 

 cases two have sufficed to destroy large oaks and apple trees. 

 With this evidence at hand there can be no question that the 

 gypsy moth, left to itself, will kill trees. This fact is of 

 importance in its bearing toward both forest and orchard 

 interests. 



However serious devastations of the moth have been 

 throughout the northern metropolitan district, and how- 

 ever much annoyance, damage and financial loss it has caused 

 property owners, in our judgment, this phase of the matter 

 is not of as .serious monunit to the citizens of the State as 

 the wholesale distribution of caterpillars which takes place 



