272 BOAKD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



wherever it has obtained a foothold, and that it will become 

 locally more destructive by reason, perhaps, of the com- 

 parative slowness of its dissemination. In the Old World 

 it has extended its range into tropical countries, and should 

 it extend into the Southern States it would probably be still 

 more destructive there than here, as the number of broods 

 produced annually usually increases in the long summer of 

 those latitudes. A conservative estimate made by Professor 

 Fernald places the probable annual damage which this insect 

 would do in Massachusetts alone, if allowed to spread, at 

 one million dollars. 



To show what would be the probable condition in large 

 areas of territory in a few years, should the work cease, the 

 statements of residents of some of the localities which 

 suftered most from the ravages of the gypsy moth are pre- 

 sented as an appendix to this report. These are selected 

 from among sixty or more such statements in the possession 

 of the committee . 



A mass of information regarding the habits and natural 

 history of the insect has been obtained by the advising ento- 

 mologist and by the director and his assistants. Many 

 valuable facts regarding insect life are continually being 

 observed, and extensive experiments in the use of insecti- 

 cides have been made. A great variety of plans for dealing 

 with the gypsy moth have been tried. Various appliances 

 have been invented for the economical and eftective carrying 

 out of these plans. A full and complete record of all these 

 matters, comprising hundreds of closely written pages, has 

 been preserved in the office of the committee. Our advisory 

 entomologist recommends that this matter be carefully 

 examined and all new scientific or practical information and 

 discoveries sifted out, edited and printed, for the benefit of 

 agriculturists and of entomological science. The principal 

 entomologists of the country have repeatedly, by letter and 

 personal appeal, urged that this be done. The committee 

 has no authority to use the appropriation for such purposes, 

 and would suggest that a specific appropriation of $2,000 for 

 this purpose would enable them to have this matter arranged 

 and edited in the proper form for printing, and would also 

 provide means for following out some scientific experiments 

 and observations that have been discontinued because not 



