62 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan. 



a certain stage they do not believe it will kill him. Now, 

 the commission have had their eyes open, and they are con- 

 vinced that Paris green does do good in certain stages of the 

 existence of the caterpillar ; and they are confident that, if the 

 matter is left in their hands another year, they will be able 

 to do still more effective work. They will not limit their 

 efforts to the use of Paris green, but they will resort to any 

 other method which seems likely to. produce the desired 

 result in the destruction of these pests. They adopt the 

 motto of the Irishman in a fight, — " Wherever you see a 

 head, hit it." That is the only way they can do. If they 

 can keep the moth within its present bounds, they believe 

 that, with the help of the investigations of science and of 

 experience, they will soon find a way by which they can 

 exterminate him. It may take a few years, and ma}' cost 

 considerable money ; but, if it costs one, two, three or five 

 millions of dollars, it will be money well expended for the 

 State of Massachusetts. I do not believe it will cost any- 

 where near these sums ; but, even if it should, it would be 

 money well expended. 



Mr. Kawson. I would like to say, in connection with 

 what the secretary has said, that we have had considerable 

 fun made of us for keeping men upon the road with feather 

 dusters to brush off the tops of wagons and carriages. That 

 was an idea of mine. The commissioners found that certain 

 teams were constantly going through this infested territory 

 and stopping at a certain place, and there they found 

 the gypsy moth. The only place where we have found 

 them, outside of the limits where we first found them, is 

 in the brick yards in North Cambridge, where the brick 

 teams that went to Medford with brick had taken them ; 

 and all through the summer we made the owner of every 

 brick team and every manure team provide a canvas 

 cover for his wagon, so that it could be brushed off after 

 passing through the infected district. In that way we 

 have stopped the spread of the moths, and it was the only 

 way we could do it. Of course people found fault, and 

 complained of us. I do not think that we have wasted a 

 great deal of money this year, because, just as soon as we 

 found that we were not using our money judiciously, we 



