412 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



During those portions of the winter and early spring, 

 when means were provided to keep the men at work, they 

 were employed mainly in cutting and burning underbrush 

 and dead and decaying trees in the infested woodlands, and 

 in destroying the eggs of the gypsy moth on the trees on 

 these lands. This work is extremely effective. It con- 

 tributes indirectly to the destruction of the moth by destroy- 

 ing its hiding-places and directly through egg-destruction 

 by preventing the hatching and spreading of the caterpil- 

 lars. It also greatly facilitates the work of the summer, by 

 reducing the number of worthless trees on which the moth 

 feeds, and which otherwise would have to be burlapped, 

 inspected, and perhaps climbed during the summer work. 

 The removal of the undergrowth drives the caterpillars to 

 the trees, where they are readily taken under the burlap 

 bands. Again, the destruction of the moth in the egg man- 

 ifestly greatly lessens the work of caterpillar-killing in the 

 summer, and so makes a material saving in labor, time and 

 money. 



The appropriation of $180,000, in addition to the emer- 

 gency appropriation, was not available until well into April. 

 It will be seen, therefore, that more than one-fourth of the 

 year had passed before the full appropriation for the season's 

 work became available. The plans and purchases for the 

 season had then to be decided upon, and the necessary num- 

 ber of men engaged, examined and set at work. 



The various interruptions in the work, which, through 

 lack of sufficient means, began in December, 1897, and oc- 

 curred again and again in the early part of 1898, had been 

 most detrimental in their effect upon the force. Many 

 experienced men had removed to considerable distances ; 

 some had found better jobs ; and it was difficult, in fact, 

 impossible, to get them all together again. The force was 

 increased as rapidly as it could be under these circum- 

 stances, and on April 23, 322 men were at work. It was 

 too late then to do much of the important spring work of 

 burning over the ground with oil in the badly infested cen- 

 tral colonies, and this work had to be abandoned for that 

 of putting burlaps on the trees, for the caterpillars had 

 appeared and were likely to spread. 



