270 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pul). Doc. 



*imall areas in difterent parts of the wooded territorv, this 

 problem will be much simplilied. 



BURLAPPING. 



The experience of the past two years has proved to the 

 committee that burlapping is one of the most effective 

 methods of dealing with the gypsy moth ; bat to be effectual 

 it is necessary that a sufficient numl)er of men be employed 

 to examine all the burlaps daily and kill all the caterpillars 

 found under them. Lack of money has heretofore prevented 

 a daily examination of the burlaps in the territory most 

 centrally located and most thoroughly infested. The trees 

 in the immediate vicinity of all known infested localities 

 should 1)6 burlapped. This would include almost all the 

 trees in Maiden, Medford and Everett, and those in large 

 sections of Revere, Melrose, Arlington and several other 

 towns. The work of attending to the burlaps ceases at the 

 close of the caterpillar season, or about the first of Sep- 

 tember. From that date the men should be put to inspecting 

 and cleaning up known colonies until the leaves have fallen. 

 The entire force should be employed for the remainder of 

 the year in inspecting the whole territory. The work of 

 past years must be verified as well as the work of the last 

 reason. 



If less than the sum recommended should be appropriated, 

 the committee would be obliged to limit the work done in the 

 most seriously infested and most central teri"itory to just 

 sufficient to prevent the insects from increasing there, and 

 employ the balance of the force that the appropriation would 

 warrant the committee in retaining, in inspecting or search- 

 ing the outside territory and cleaning up the outlying colonies. 

 The inspection must be done to prevent the spreading. The 

 amount that can be accomplished in the line of extermination 

 depends entirely upon the size of the appropriation. 



If the work of destroying the gyps}' moth should noAV be 

 discontinued there would probably be very little damage 

 done for a year or two by the caterpillars. As a result of 

 the work already done the moths are now very rare except 

 in limited localities in the central towns of the infested 

 district. But they are scattered here and there over a large 

 part of this whole area, in small colonies such as started 



