108 THE BROWN-TAIL MOTH 



fested area in New Hampshire, with the exception of the 

 southern part of Stratham. In December, 1903, no nests 

 were found in Atkinson, and but few in Salem, N. H., 

 along the Massachusetts line, they becoming scarce and dis- 

 appearing northward in Salem, thus showing that the pest 

 had not spread much over the line west of the eastern part 

 of Rockingham County. The greatest spread occurred in 

 1904 during the summer flight of the moths in July. On 

 Saturday, July 9, the moths invaded Nashua in immense 

 swarms, so that the electric light posts and wires were 

 white with them and they were reported in large numbers 

 on all the principal streets by the police. At Newmarket 

 they appeared on July 12, ''by the million," according to 

 Mr. Pinkham of The Advertiser, who stated that two quarts 

 of the dead moths were taken from one arc-light globe and 

 the front of a church was covered as if by a snowfall. On 

 July 22 but few moths were to be seen in Newmarket. 

 Further north the moths do not seem to have appeared in 

 such numbers, though Manchester, Concord and Rochester 

 became well infested. The spread in 1904 was the greatest 

 recorded, the northernmost infested points being North 

 Conway and Holderness, representing a spread of some sev- 

 enty-five miles in that season, undoubtedly occurring during 

 the flight of the moths. The exact spread in the south- 

 western part of the state was not determined as definitely 

 as was desired, but there seemed to be but little infestation 

 west of Concord. Inspections made by assistants of this 

 office showed that Contoocook and Henniker were slightly 

 infested, but Warner and Hillsborough were not. Speci- 

 mens were received from several towns south and slightly 

 east of these. 



In February, 1904, this station issued a warning bulle- 

 tin on the brown-tail moth by Dr. C. M. Weed, so that the 

 public was well informed concerning it. In January, 1905, 

 in cooperation with the state board of agriculture, a poster 

 was circulated throughout the infested portions of the state, 

 considerable attention was given the matter by the press. 



