336 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pul). Doc. 



the work which could, under the circumstances, be done. 

 More egg-clusters still remain there than are to be found 

 anywhere else in the infested region. Those sections of the 

 city where the moths were known to be most numerous, in- 

 cluding the Middlesex Fells colonies, were burlapped in the 

 spring. These burlaps were as well attended as could be 

 expected by the twenty-five men allotted to Medford. Al- 

 though the work done during the summer failed to hold the 

 moth in check in the woods, it kept the borders of the wood- 

 land roads quite clear from the pest, and there were only two 

 or three localities where the trees were stripped. The con- 

 centration of nearly three-fourths of the entire force in these 

 woods during October and Noveml)er has made it possible to 

 put them in better condition than they otherwise would have 

 been, but there are several colonies in which the eggs on the 

 trees have not yet been destroyed. This work and that of 

 preparing the woodland colonies for the work of next sum- 

 mer would employ 100 men from Jan. 1, 1898, to the hatch- 

 ing season, while burlapping, spraying, egg-killing and other 

 absolutely necessary work would keep them very busy for 

 the remainder of the year. 



Melrose. 

 The northern half of Melrose was burlapped in 1896 and 

 1897. Few caterpillars were found in 1897. South of the 

 centre of the town no work was done in 1896, except an in- 

 spection of the residential part in the fall. This part of the 

 town was, however, burlapped in 1897. It was found that 

 the number of the moths had increased considerably, espe- 

 cially in the woodlands near the Maiden line ; but their num- 

 ber was greatly reduced by the work of the burlap season. 

 Efiective work was done in several colonies in that part of 

 Melrose which is located in the Middlesex Fells reservation, 

 and on the later inspections of the burlaps few caterpillars 

 were found. The general condition of the town is now better 

 than in any previous year. In many of the places now 

 marked as infested only single caterpillars were taken. The 

 position of the town, lying, as it does, with the badly in- 

 fested woods of Saugus on the east, Maiden on the south and 



