No. 4.] GYPSY AND BROWN-TAIL MOTHS. 203 



The national Congress at its last session having provided 

 an appropriation of $82,500 for suppressing the moths in 

 New Enofland States, work in Massachusetts was commenced 

 under the direction of the United States Department of 

 Agriculture, Bureau of Entomology, early in August. The 

 principal features of this work, which are directed by the 

 entomologist. Dr. L. O. Howard, with Mr. D. M. Rogers 

 as field agent in charge, have been the thinning of protective 

 belts in woodlands along the main highways of the district, 

 these belts later to be cleared of eggs and thoroughly sprayed. 

 In this way the national work will ably supplement the State 

 work, and it has our most hearty conmiendation. 



At the present AVTiting, upAvard of 1,200 men are engaged 

 in winter work against the moth under the direction of the 

 Sti,ite office, and over 100 men under the direction of the 

 Bureau of Entomology. 



Favored by liberal State appropriations. Superintendent 

 Kirkland, through Dr. L. O. Howard, has been actively 

 engaged in importing parasites and predaceous enemies of 

 these insects, and several large colonies have been liberated 

 in various infested woodlands. Those most familiar with 

 this feature of the work still take a conservative attitude as 

 to the probable benefit to be derived from these parasites. 



Your committee is of the opinion that, while this experi- 

 ment may prove to be a success, it may also prove to be a 

 failure, and that no effort should be spared to control the 

 moths through the means which we know to be effective, 

 until the success of the parasites has been fully demon- 

 strated. 



We are informed by Superintendent Kirkland that, taking 

 into account State, city and town approjiriations, as well as 

 the very large sums now being expended by individual citi- 

 zens throughout eastern Massachusetts, the total amount ex- 

 pended against the gypsy and brown-tail moths in this State 

 during 1906 will fall between $500,000 and $750,000, — a 

 larger sum than has ever been expended under legal au- 

 thority in destroying an insect pest in the history of the 

 world. In this work the State of Massachusetts has taken 

 high ground, and has given to the country and the world a 



