60 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 



methods practiced upon preservation of trees in cities and towns 

 were prohibitive on account of the great expense entailed. It was 

 found that to spray an acre of woodland of average conditions, 

 with arsenate of lead for example, would cost forty dollars, while 

 the assessed value of the whole property might not average that 

 amount. 



Anticipating these conditions the Massachusetts State Forester 

 set at work to meet the situation, and in a year's time evolved a 

 spraying machine that revolutionized all previous methods. This 

 machine was constructed of parts made of bronze metal instead of 

 cast iron and perfected in such a way as to obtain efficiency in 

 spraying and at the same reduce the expense of operation. The 

 result of this improvement in our spraying equipment was to lower 

 the comparative cost of woodland spraying from forty to six dollars 

 per acre. In accomplishing this result the Forester desires to 

 acknowledge the assistance of L. H. Worthley and Melvin Guptill. 

 The former was an assistant in the department, in charge of moth 

 work, and the latter was responsible for executing the engineering 

 work. This powerful machine, making possible the spraying of 

 tall trees without climbing, is economical of team and manual labor. 

 No patents were ever applied for, and the results were given to the 

 world. This machine has been in common use in Massachusetts 

 and elsewhere, and aside from the natural improvements suggested 

 from experience, and minor inventions each year, is the same' 

 machine. 



Other methods of moth suppression besides spraying have been 

 used, such as introducing parasites, creosoting egg masses, etc., all 

 of which are of value when used intelligently, but spraying is com- 

 monly resorted to when immediate results are desired. During 

 the past season the contract for arsenate of lead by the State For- 

 ester was for seven hundred tons, and it is believed that drue thou- 

 sand tons may have been used in Massachusetts. 



As soon as the moths began to make inroads upon the forests we 

 were confronted not only with improving and perfecting our spray- 

 ing methods, but other economic methods suggested themselves. 

 It was found to be a poor policy to spray good, bad, and indifferent 

 trees alike. It naturally followed, therefore, that the undesirable 

 ones were taken out, thus enabling the remaining trees to be sprayed 



