No. 4.] THE GYPSY MOTH. 287 



Destructiveness of the Gypsy Moth in Eurojye. 



In regard to its history' in Europe, Professor Femakl wrote in 1889 : 

 "In 1817 the cork oaks dl' Southern France suffered severely from 

 the attacks of this insect. One of the papers of that time stated that 

 tlie beautiful cork oaks which extended from Barbaste to the city of 

 Podenas were nearly destroyed by the caterpillars of the gypsy moth. 

 After having devoured the leaves and yoimg acorns they attacked the 

 fields of corn and millet, and also the grasslands and fruit trees. In 

 1878 the plane trees of the public promenades of Lyons were nearly 

 ruined by this same insect. Only last summer (1888) I saw the moths 

 in immense numbers on the trees in the zoological gardens of Berlin, 

 where the caterpillars had done great injury ; and the European works 

 on entomology abomid with instances of the destructiveness of this 

 insect. "WTien we consider its long list of food plants, we can see how 

 injurious this insect may become if allowed to spread over the country, 

 and become established. The opinion was expressed to me by promi- 

 nent entomologists in Europe, that, if the gypsy moth should get a 

 foothold in this country, it would become a far greater pest than the 

 Colorado potato beetle, because it is so prolific, and feeds on so many 

 difl'erent plants, while the potato beetle confines itself to a small 

 number." * 



Bechstein of Germany says, in his "Natural History of Insects Injuri- 

 ous to Forest Trees" (1804, p. 372) : "This is a formidable insect, 

 against which very active measures must be taken ; for, on account of 

 their large broods and great voracity, the damage done by the cater- 

 pillars may be easily understood." Linnteus and Fabricius call it the 

 pest of the fruit garden. Preyssler writes: "The caterpillars became 

 very common in Prague, to the great injury of the fruit trees ; being 

 deprived wholly of leaves, they bore no fruit." P. Brocchi, in his 

 "Treatise on Agricultural Zoology" (p. 451), published in 1886, says 

 of the gypsy moth : " It attacks not only fruit trees, but forest trees 

 also. It has been noticed that the gardens in the vicinity of elms and 

 poplars have especially sutfered " J. O. Westwood (London, 1840, p. 

 451) writes: '■'■ Hyiwgymna (Ociieria) disjyar and Psilma monacha are 

 occasionally exceedingly destructive in Germany to the forests, which 

 they completely strip of their foliage." 



Mr. E A. Samuels, in a paper read before the Massachusetts State 

 Board of Agriculture, in 1865, speaks of the serious injury by this 

 insect in Europe as follows : " During the year 1848 an enormous quan- 



* Spec. Bull. Hatch Exp. Station of the Mass. Agr. College, Nov., 1889, p. 4. 



