264 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICITLTURE. 



Field co^'TKOL avork. The field Avork has been carried along on 

 tlie same general lines as in previons years. As the sconting of the 

 border area failed to reveal infestations in many towns, it was pos- 

 sible to devote more time and effort to the control of bad colonies 

 located on exposed places in towns inside the border. AVork of this 

 character is exceedingly important, as it tends to reduce the oppor- 

 tunity for small caterpillars to be spread by the wind and helps to 

 prevent new^ infestations from becoming established outside the 

 border and in the area which has been cleaned. Scouting was car- 

 ried on in 130 towns, and in a number of these tow^ns the work was 

 checked up by special scouts, known as trailers, to determine whether 

 ogg clusters were being missed. This method is constantly emploj^ed 

 in oi'der to keep the work on an efficient basis. 



In the fall of 1918 several tons of gipsy moth banding material 

 was prepared at the field storehouse at Franklin, N. H. About 4 

 tons of this material was applied to the trees early in the spring, and 

 i^xcellent results were secured. During the winter five of the horse- 

 drawn spraying machines were concerted into motor-propelled out- 

 fits and there were available 12 motor-truck sprayers and 7 horse- 

 drawn machines, w-ith the necessary hose, nozzles, and other acces- 

 sories. These machines were distributed along the infested border 

 and work w-as taken up as soon as the foliage was large enough to 

 be sprayed. For the first time since the Avork began, dry arsenate 

 of lead was used instead of paste. The results were satisfactory; 

 and more of this material will be used in the future if the price is 

 as favorable as is that of the paste form. 



Spraying was carried on in 36 towns as follows: New Hampshire, 

 25; Massachusetts, 3; Ehode Island, 4; Connecticut, 4; 3,280 acres of 

 infested w^oodland was sprayed; also 6,800 fruit and shade trees. 

 This work in the border territory was greatly facilitated by the 

 spraying carried on by the State entomologist in Connecticut. The 

 work Avas arranged so that one motor truck furnished by the State 

 and one horse-drawn sprayer treated the infestations in a number of 

 towns. 



Experimental avork. In the fall of 1918 many sample collections 

 Avere made to determine Avhether the severe Avinter had adversely 

 affected the imported egg parasites, namely, Schedius Icuvanac and 

 Anastatus hifasciatus. The results indicated that Schedius had not 

 been able to survive the Avinter in NeAv Hampshire, except possibly 

 in a few of the more favorable locations. This species Avas also very 

 scarce in Massachusetts, except in the southern part of the State. 

 Anastatus came through the winter in better condition, although its 

 numbers Avere decreased someAvhat. OAving to these conditions, plans 

 Avere immediately made to colonize large numbers of both species dur- 

 ing the fall and Avinter. 



Five million specimens of Schedius were colonized in Massachusetts 

 and NeAv Hampshire in the fall of 1918, and 10,000,000 specimens of 

 Anastatus were colonized in the spring of 1919; 2,016 colonies of 

 the latter Avere liberated in Massachusetts, 6,286 in NeAV Hampshire, 

 1,659 in Maine, 127 in Ehode Island, and 144 in Connecticut. The 

 completion of this Avork Avas made possible by assistance secured 

 from tlie officials in the different States. 



