222 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



the office of the secretary of the Board all such requests 

 received prompt attention. With the pupal season damage 

 ceased, and late rains helped the trees to throw out a second 

 crop of leaves, although it was noticeable that in the worst 

 devastated districts many large trees had succumbed to the 

 attacks of the pest. In southern Melrose, where consider- 

 able stripping has occurred for two years past, fifty or more 

 dead pines and many dead oaks are mute witnesses of the 

 insect's power for harm. 



As in past years many cities and towns continued the 

 work of suppressing the pest on street trees and in a few 

 cases on private estates. Somerville, Maiden, Medford, 

 Lexington, Melrose and many other cities and towns have 

 done excellent work in suppressing the moth on street trees. 

 While the latter as a rule escaped serious damage last season, 

 the nearby colonies on private estates have rapidly increased 

 and threaten to undo the good work accomplished by munic- 

 ipal efforts. Hundreds of private citizens, realizing the 

 danger of harboring such a pest or seeing their trees attacked 

 by the caterpillars, took prompt action, even at considerable 

 expense and personal inconvenience. Medford's well-known 

 citizen, Gen. S. C. Lawrence, is a conspicuous example 

 of this class. The owner of large areas of beautiful wood- 

 land, which he has practically opened as a public park, his 

 efforts in resistino- the moth have been constant in season 

 and out of season. During the height of the caterpillar sea- 

 son he employed upward of thirty men in the effort to protect 

 his trees from damage. What this public-spirited citizen has 

 done on a laro;e scale other owners of small estates have 

 freely endeavored to accomplish. By suppressing the moth 

 (m their own property and thereby saving their trees from 

 harm they have also protected their neighbors from annoy- 

 ance and loss. Such examples of good citizenship are 

 worthy of the highest commendation. By way of contrast, 

 far too many, either through lack of means or from indiffer- 

 ence, have allowed the moth to ravage their trees, breed 

 unrestricted and spread outward to adjoining estates, there 

 to work havoc in future seasons. 



Great as has been the injury by the caterpillars the past 

 year, in our opinion the greatest damage will result from the 



