No. 4.] THE GYPSY MOTH. 423 



the field director's assistant, Mr. E. C. Ware, has made a 

 special study of insecticide machinery, and as a result has 

 perfected spraying machinery, especially adapted for use on 

 the gypsy moth and other insects. 



The Brown-tail Moth. 



When, early in May, 1897, the brown-tail moth was first 

 discovered in Somerville, your committee, believing it to be 

 one of the worst pests of Europe, proposed to allow it no 

 time to spread, but to stop it immediately where it then was. 

 In pursuance of this plan, men were put at work to spray 

 and otherwise destroy caterpillars in the worst-infested ter- 

 ritory, so as to prevent the spread of the moth. It was 

 hoped that the Legislature would promptly make an appro- 

 priation of $10,000 to stamp out at once the brown-tail 

 moth, and thereby prevent its spreading into other towns. 

 It was too late to put in a petition to the Legislature, the 

 time for entering new business having passed. The condi- 

 tions were explained to the Governor, who sent to the 

 Legislature a message on the subject. The matter was 

 referred to the ways and means committee, who reported an 

 appropriation of $10,000, to be taken from the amount 

 already appropriated for the gypsy moth. This bill failed 

 in the House of Eepresentatives. A bill drawn by a mem- 

 ber of the House was then substituted, making it mandatory 

 for citizens to destroy the nests of the moths upon their 

 premises. In the mean time, the committee, the Legislat- 

 ure not having endorsed its action, was obliged to call off 

 its workmen ; and the caterpillars, having undergone their 

 transformations, emerged as moths and spread over the 

 country. A strong southerly gale ensuing in July, the 

 moths were undoubtedly blown into the towns to the north 

 of Somerville. As both sexes fly, they are scattered about 

 much more readily by the wind than is the gypsy moth, the 

 female of which does not fly. 



By the new law the Board of Agriculture was required to 

 make inspection, to notify the town authorities wherever 

 the brown-tail moth was found in their municipalities, and 

 to notify citizens whose premises were found infested ; but 



