C0mm0nfoeaItl^ d ^assarl^nsetts. 



To the Massachusetts State Board of Agriculture. 



The committee in charge of the gypsy moth work, com- 

 mitted to the Board of Agriculture by the Legislature, 

 herewith presents the report of expenditures and of work 

 performed for the year 1896. 



On the first of January, 1896, there remained unexpended, 

 of the appropriation of 1895, $39,722.09. This was retained 

 with the expectation that the sum would be sufficient to 

 maintain the reduced force of 121 men to continue such w^ork 

 as could be done during suitable winter weather until the 

 Legislature should make an appropriation for the season's 

 work. In January, February and the first half of March 

 much effective work Avas done in the way of destroying the 

 eggs of the moth upon the trees, cutting and burning worth- 

 less, decayed, infested trees and underbrush, and preparing 

 infested localities for the summer's work. As the season 

 wore on and most of the appropriation became exhausted, it 

 was found necessary to further reduce the number of men 

 employed, thus greatly handicapping the eflectiveness of the 

 work. 



The Board of Agriculture had unanimously adopted and 

 approved the report of the gypsy moth committee, recom- 

 mending to the Legislature an appropriation of $200,000. 

 The Board had also adopted resolutions, unanimously recom- 

 mending that whatever appropriation, if any, the Legislature 

 saw fit to grant, should be promptly forthcoming, as the 

 work had in the past been hindered nearly as much by delay 

 as by reduction of the appropriations. The committee re- 

 ported to the Legislature on the work of the season of 1895, 

 placing the report in the hands of the clerk of the Senate 

 on the first day of the session. The report was thus pre- 



