244 THE GYPSY MOTH. 



THE PROGRESS OF EXTERMINATION. 



The extermination of the gypsy moth was begun by the 

 Commonwealth under a misapprehension of the facts. When 

 the first great outbreak of the pest was brought to the atten- 

 tion of the Legislature in 1890, it was believed that the moth 

 was confined to cultivated lands in the town of Medford. 

 This infested district was not supposed to exceed one-half 

 mile in width and one and one-half miles in length. The 

 difficulty and expense of extermination were consequently 

 underestimated. An appropriation was made for the pur- 

 pose of exterminating the moth in this small tract and 

 preventing its spread to other parts of the State. In the 

 attempt to exterminate the moth, the experience of the first 

 year showed that the insect was not confined to Medford, and 

 the commission of 1890 reported that fifty square miles were 

 more or less infested. The experience of the second year 

 proved that the moth was distributed over an area of over 

 two hundred square miles, not only in cultivated lands but 

 in waste and wood lands as well. The magnitude of the task 

 undertaken by the Commonwealth then became apparent. 



Circumstances favoring Extermination. 



There are certain circumstances connected with the habitat 

 of the moth, which, taken together with known facts in its 

 life history, encourage the attempt to secure its extermina- 

 tion. 



Limited Area Occupied. The experience of five years 

 confirms the belief that the moth is confined to a limited area 

 on and near the coast line. 



Favorable Location. The infested region is bounded on 

 the east and south-east by the ocean, which prevents the 

 spread of the moth in those directions. - Much of the territory 

 along the coast consists of salt marsh, in which the gypsy 

 moth cannot live. 



The infested region is in the most populous portion of 



