THE GIP>\ MOTH. 97 
tin: (.IPSY MOTH. 
HISTORY. 
The gipsy moth has been known as a serious insect pest 
in Europe from the time of the earliest naturalists, the first 
authentic record being in 1662. It extends throughout the 
continent of Europe, over much of Asia and into Northern 
Africa, but is chiefly injurious in Central and Eastern 
Europe. It frequently does serious injury there by defo- 
liating large areas of forest and more frequently fruit and 
shade trees, but its ravages cease in two or three seasons, 
not to occur again for several years, like those of many of 
our native insects, such as the Forest Tent Caterpillar and 
Tussock moth. In 1868 the insect was brought to this coun- 
try by Prof. Leopold Trouvelot at Medford, Mass., in his ex- 
periments in silk producing. Escaping from him into the 
neighboring woodland, the insect increased gradually for 
several years before noticed, but in 1890 had become such a 
serious pest throughout this and neighboring towns that the 
state of Massachusetts commenced the arduous task of its 
extermination. In 1890 the insect had invaded some twenty 
towns, from Cambridge on the south to Lexington on the 
west, and Reading and Beverly on the north. This work 
was ably carried on by the Gipsy Moth Commission and 
the Massachusetts Board of Agriculture, who annually 
employed a small army of men in the fight, and who 
expended up to 1900 approximately a million and a quar- 
ter of dollars. As a result, so few of the moths could 
be found in 1899 and so little damage was caused by the 
insect, that the legislature of 1900, probably not real- 
izing the necessity of continuing control measures, stopped 
the work. Had a small annual appropriation been made 
and continued at this time, the future spread would un- 
doubtedly have been prevented and the control of the insect 
become more and more effectual, though utter extermination 
