468 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



When appropriations are insufficient, something must always 

 be left undone. The moths were attacked in all centres of 

 population and in the badly infested woodland colonies 

 farthest from the centre of the moth district, where they 

 were then more numerous even than in the centre. They 

 were thus prevented from further increase and from spread- 

 ing into new territory (especially the woods) at a long dis- 

 tance from the centre, and were reduced to the point of 

 extermination. Under this plan the increase of the moth 

 has been allowed perforce in the centre only, where the 

 creature can now be handled with much less expense and 

 with much less danger of distribution outside of the infested 

 district, in the mean time, than would have been the case 

 had the plan followed been that of attacking the moths first 

 in the central woodlands. If, following this latter plan, the 

 main part of the exterminative work had been directed first 

 against the moths in the centre, while they were left to in- 

 crease almost unrestricted in the outer towns, this increase 

 would now be beyond control. 



The reduction of further appropriations can have only one 

 result — it will perpetuate the work. An attempt to exter- 

 minate the gypsy moth with insufficient means will fail even 

 to prevent its spreading. The only way to prevent the 

 gypsy moth from spreading is to exterminate it. Unless 

 appropriations can be made large enough to continue a 

 supreme effort to exterminate the moth, the work had better 

 be abandoned. The gypsy moth can never be exterminated 

 from this Commonwealth until steady progress is made in 

 each infested town each year until the end. No progress 

 over the entire region is possible for the present with an 

 appropriation of less than $200,000. 



Respectfully submitted, 



E. H. FORBUSH. 



