2H2 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pul). Doc. 



Owing to the insufficiency of the appropriation and the 

 consequent lack of men, the burlap on the trees in the 

 central towns was not as often visited, ])ut was examined 

 fortnightly, weekly or bi-weekly, as the circumstances 

 admitted or as immediate necessity demanded. As the 

 effectiveness of this method depends largely on daily visits 

 to the bands, the results were not as satisfactory as in the 

 outer towns, but the moths were held in check and con- 

 siderably reduced in numbers. 



As the young caterpillars hatched and appeared in the 

 undergrowth on the borders of woodland they were destroyed 

 by burning over small tracts with crude oil l^y ineans of the 

 cyclone burner, first made use of in this work in 1891. 

 This method has proved to be certain destruction to the 

 caterpillars if employed at the right time. 



As the season advanced, traps containing artificially 

 reared female moths were placed in the field and the males 

 were attracted to them in considerable numbers. As many 

 of the males emerge from the pupa before the females and 

 are thus captured before they have an opportunity to pair, 

 the number of fertile egg clusters may be lessened in this 

 way at a small expense. 



The experiments with insecticides made under Prof. C. 

 H. Fernald's direction have proved conclusively that the 

 arsenites as commonly used for spraying foliage are ineffect- 

 ual with the gypsy moth. The chemical experiments made 

 at the field director's office by Mr. F. C. Moulton, one of 

 the inspectors employed by the committee, have resulted in 

 the discovery of some insecticide mixtures, one of which 

 seems to be very eftective with the gypsy moth and may be 

 useful in exterminating the pest. This consists of a mixture 

 of an arsenite with acetate of lead and glucose in w^ater, and 

 apparently gives the long-sought result.* It is claimed that 

 it is not washed off the leaves by showers, but that it is 

 retained upon them during an entire season. It can be used 

 in sufficient strength to kill the cater})illars of the gypsy 

 moth without injury to the foliage. Enough spraying was 

 done during the season to test this mixture in the field, and 



* The formula most used was sodic arseniate, 29.93 per cent. ; plumbic acetate, 

 70.07 per cent. 



