224 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



effective work after the long period of cessation of effort 

 against these insects. It is to be regretted that the possi- 

 bility of extermination no longer exists, and that the only 

 result of future work possible is the prevention of the spread 

 of the gypsy moth and the reduction of the damage it will 

 occasion in the infested territory. Chastened and subdued 

 by the experiences of the past five years, none of the former 

 opponents of the work are now so bold as to claim that the 

 gypsy moth is a humbug, and that with the stoppage of ap- 

 propriations by the State the damage from the insect would 

 also cease. Those who took part in the campaign for the 

 brinofincr of the work of this conunittee to a close are now 

 silent, nor are they at all desirous of being known as active 

 agents in fastening this great annual tax on the Common- 

 wealth and the cities and towns of the infested region for all 

 time. 



On June 30, 1905, your committee, together with the 

 executive committee of the State Grange, Superintendent 

 Kirkland and others interested, made a visit of inspection to 

 the infested territory. Enough was seen on that visit to 

 show the constant and increasing menace of the gypsy moth, 

 and to prove that action against it could not have been 

 longer delayed without even more serious and far-reaching 

 consequences. At the park in Arlington we found the trees 

 stripped bare as in winter ; great masses of caterpillars 

 gathered on the trunks and festooning from the limbs ; the 

 seats covered and in places the ground literally carpeted 

 with the crawling insects, migrating in search of the food 

 destroyed in that particular place by their own voracious 

 appetites, — all this in spite of a very active and intelligent 

 campaign carried on against the gypsy moth by the citizens 

 of the town, probably more work and better concerted effort 

 having been jait out here by the citizens than in any other 

 nmnici[)ality. The park was i)ractically useless for park 

 I)urposes, in such condition that no one would frequent it 

 unless compelled to do so, and not likely to be of any per- 

 manent value as a breathing spot for the public in the 

 future, or at least for some years to come. The same con- 

 ditions prevailed in many other parts of the territory, as 



