432 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



We have therefore the opinion of every economic ento- 

 mologist in America who has investigated the work, and 

 they all without exception believe that extermination of the 

 gypsy moth is possible, provided sufficient funds are fur- 

 nished by the State and made available when needed. 



Cost of Extermination by the State. 



A very important question may now be considered, and 

 that is, What will it cost the State to exterminate the gypsy 

 moth? After a critical study of this insect, continued dur- 

 ing the last nine years, I see no reason to change the general 

 estimate of time and money that was published in the report 

 of the gypsy moth committee for 1897, which was "an 

 appropriation of not less than $200,000 a year for a term of 

 not less than five years, and then an appropriation of not 

 less than $100,000 a year for a term of not less than five 

 years ; after this an appropriation of perhaps $15,000 a year 

 for a period of five years." 



In the spring of 1897 the Legislature appropriated only 

 $150,000, instead of $200,000, the amount asked for ; and 

 the result was that no material gain was made towards 

 extermination, so that the time given in the above estimate 

 can be shortened by one year only. Last winter, however, 

 $200,000 was appropriated, but late in the session $10,000 

 of this sum was assigned by the Legislature for work on the 

 brown-tail moth ; yet, with this reduced appropriation, such 

 progress was made towards the extermination of the gypsy 

 moth that I feel more than ever confident that this insect 

 can be exterminated in the time and with the specific appro- 

 priations for each year indicated in my estimate given above, 

 provided the appropriations are not delayed nor any portion 

 of them assigned to other work than that on the gypsy 

 moth. 



A careful consideration of the various appropriations 

 made since this work began, and the results obtained with 

 each, shows that, when the amount asked for by the com- 

 mittee was appropriated and made available early in the 

 season, very great progress was made in the work of exter- 

 mination ; but when the amount asked for was cut down or 

 greatly delayed, there was little or no gain in the work. I 



