416 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



outer towns already cleared. It is therefore here in the 

 central towns that the work of the season shows to the best 

 advantage. In spite of the hindrances caused by the delay 

 of the appropriation, the moth has been so reduced in these 

 central woodlands that egg-clusters are now in most cases 

 rare and hard to find, even in localities where the caterpil- 

 lars were killed by millions only so recently as the past 

 summer. In the Saugus woods, where the caterpillars 

 taken in past seasons have been estimated at thousands of 

 bushels, it is difficult to find egg-clusters to-day. In the 

 woodlands of the Mystic valley, outside of Medford, the 

 same condition prevails, and egg-clusters can now be found 

 there only by long and tedious search. In Maiden, Med- 

 ford, Everett and Melrose egg-clusters in small quantities 

 are still to be found ; but, if the work now being done can 

 be continued without interruption until the time for the 

 hatching of the eggs in the spring, the egg-clusters will be 

 very rare in all these places. In seven towns within the 

 infested territory no moths have been found this year, and 

 in half the others embraced in this territory very few were 

 found in the fall inspection. If the work now being done 

 can be carried on without interruption until spring, it is 

 believed that very few if any caterpillars will be distrib- 

 uted next summer from the woodland centres to the outer 

 towns. 



In view of the encouraging progress made in 1898, in 

 spite of the delay in making the appropriation, your com- 

 mittee believe that the attempt to exterminate the gypsy 

 moth in eastern Massachusetts has been justified by the 

 results already attained, and its practicability demonstrated. 

 They therefore plan to continue the work in 1899 on the 

 same lines as in 1898. An appropriation of $200,000 is 

 therefore recommended for the work of the ensuing year, 

 this sum to be expended in no half-way measures of sup- 

 pression, with the result of continuing the work indefinitely, 

 but with the sole view to the extirpation of the gypsy moth 

 from this Commonwealth. 



So much progress having been reported, the question will 

 naturally arise, Why, then, is so large an appropriation now 

 needed? In answer to this, it must be stated that there are 



