m. 4.] 



THE GYPSY MOTH. 



279 



" In this country it occurs only in Medford, Mass., and, so far as I 

 could learn at the time of my first visit to that place, it occupied an area 

 in the form of an ellipse, about a mile and a half long by half a mile 

 wide. This represents the territory where the outbreak occurred and 

 where the insects were very abundant ; but without doubt they are dis- 

 tributed in smaller quantities outside of this ellipse, but how far it is 

 now impossible to tell." 



At that time (1890) fifty thousand dollars were appropriated by the 

 Legislature to exterminate the gypsy moth in those few towns. At the 

 end of the year it was known to be in at least eight towns, but only fifty 

 thousand dollars more were appropriated for 1891. During 1891 it was 

 found in thirty townships, and this was to have been expected in view 

 of the fact that it had been allowed to spread for twenty years, entirely 

 unmolested by man. Yet but seventy-five thousand dollars were asked 

 for to continue the work over this area of two hundred square miles for 

 twelve months. This amount was appropriated by the Legislature. It 

 is needless to say that this sura proved insnfficient to do all that could 

 have been done to good advantage in a season's work over such an area. 



Had the Board been aware at the outset that the moth was distributed 

 over thirty townships, it is doubtful if anyone would have had the cour- 

 age to advocate or undertake its extermination. The area of the reo^ion 

 over which it is distributed, however, is one of the least of the difficul- 

 ties in the way of its extermination, and these difficulties can only be 

 fully appreciated by those actually engaged in the work. 



The following summary is given to show the magnitude of the under- 

 taking, and such results of the work as can be accurately tabulated : — 



Number of Men employed Each Week. 



