438 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



width. In the early years of the work, when compara- 

 tively little burlap was used, the cutting was done by hand, 

 by dividing bundles of burlap with a sharp knife. This was 

 a laborious and tedious task, and occupied the time of 

 several men for many days. Experiment suggested the 

 substitution of a hay knife in place of the ordinary butcher 

 knife, and this greatly facilitated the cutting, saving con- 

 siderable time. A large knife with a corrugated edge, 

 which runs back and forth like a cross-cut saw, was then 

 invented and attached to power by my assistant, Mr. E. C. 

 Ware. This does the work of many men, and requires 

 comparatively little attendance. The machine with a 

 bundle of burlap in place for cutting is shown in the accom- 

 panying illustration. 



When putting burlaps on the trees, it was found that the 

 work was facilitated by making a hard roll of burlap, which 

 was suspended by a string from the shoulder of the work- 

 man, being later unrolled, passed around a tree and cut as 

 desired. Each man on receiving his strip of burlap would 

 roll it up, pass a string through it and suspend it from his 

 shoulder. This took the time of the men employed in 

 putting on burlap. This delay has been done away with by 

 the invention of a simple machine, which is shown on Plate 

 V. By the use of this machine one man rolls all the burlap 

 that is required. 



Much time from the latter part of April until well into 

 June was occupied in putting the burlap on the trees. As 

 soon as this work was done it was time to begin killing the 

 caterpillars which had gathered beneath the burlaps. At 

 that date nearly every man employed by the Board on the 

 gypsy moth work was engaged somewhere in killing cater- 

 pillars. But the greater part of these caterpillars were 

 killed in Maiden and Medio rd, and in places where the 

 ground would have been burned over in the spring had the 

 appropriation been made earlier. In these cases the cater- 

 pillars appeared in countless numbers. No attempt what- 

 ever was made to count them. Men were taken from the 

 outer towns, from the storehouse and office to assist in 

 killing caterpillars ; and even then for a time the swarming 

 insects seemed to gain, in spite of the slaughter. In a 



