296 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



Professor Smith of Rutgers College, after speaking in 

 terms of commendation of the work, experiments, etc., says, 

 " The force under the direction of Mr. Forbush has accom- 

 plished wonders, and I feel that there is very good reason for 

 the belief that the gypsy moth can be exterminated, provided 

 the means are furnished by the Legislature of Massachusetts, 

 in as liberal a spirit at least as past appropriations have been 

 made." 



Professor Lintner, State Entomologist of New York, says, 

 *'I was not prepared to see that such progress had been 

 made towards the extermination of the notorious gypsy moth. 

 It was a surprise to me that, in the brief space of three years, 

 the fearful ravages of the insect, as described to me and as 

 pictured in photographs, could have been reduced to such an 

 extent that to the ordinary observer no indication of its 

 presence was visible, and that in a ride of an entire day 

 through several of the infested towns, including a visit to 

 localities that had been frightfully scourged, not a single 

 example of the caterpillar was found by me, although dili- 

 o;ent search for it was made. How a work of such mao;ni- 

 tude, extending over so large a territory, could have been 

 accomplished was a wonder and an enigma to me, until I 

 became acquainted with the means by which it had been 

 brought about. I trust that your Legislature will see the 

 wisdom of continuing the work under suitable appropriations, 

 until the extermination of the insect has been attained." 



The above named gentlemen all expressed themselves 

 very strongly in favor of the continuation of the work to 

 the complete extermination of this insect, which is sure to 

 prove so exceedingly destructive if it be left to itself. 



It has been a greater surprise to me than to any one else, 

 perhaps, to see what has been accomplished from the first ; 

 for few persons, if any, have followed and watched the work 

 more closely than I have been able to do from the time the 

 presence of the insects was reported. Only those who have 

 thus carefully and frequently inspected the work can fully 

 realize how much has been accomplished. 



During the past season I have had a large number of 

 experiments performed with various insecticides, for the pur- 

 pose of determining what substances would prove the most 



