240 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



The work has suffered in the past three years ahnost as 

 much by delay of appropriations as by refusal to appropri- 

 ate the sum asked for by the committee. 



The region which was found to be infested in 1891 by the 

 gypsy moth was something over two liundred square miles 

 in extent. It included thirty townships and considerable 

 portions of three counties. It was learned in 1891 that the 

 moth had been distributed for several years over this region, 

 thousrh it had not become abundant enousfh to be considered 

 a pest except in a few of the central towns. The present 

 condition of this region as regards the relative abundance of 

 the gypsy moth in the various sections is as follows : — 



In ten of the outer towns the moth has been apparently 

 exterminated ; in five more it has been very nearly exter- 

 minated. More than a thousand well-marked moth colonies 

 have been stamped out of existence. In all of the infested 

 towns such sections as have been worked over year after 

 year by the employees of the State Board of Agriculture are 

 now nearly cleared of the moth, and the general condition 

 of the inhabited and cultivated lands is better than ever 

 before. Against this favorable condition of such portions 

 of these towns we must place the fact which has been 

 revealed by the inspection of the past season, — that the 

 woodlands in many of the towns are much more generally 

 infested than has been hitherto supposed. Scattered colonies 

 of the moth are now known in the woods of Lexington, 

 Winchester, Arlington, Belmont, Stoneham, Medford, 

 Wakefield, Melrose, Maiden, Lynnfield, Saugus, Revere, 

 Swampscott, Lynn and Salem. 



This condition of the forested lands is due to the fact that 

 thers has not been money enough to provide for destruction 

 of these colonies whenever found. It has been impossible, 

 with the means at our command, to make a thorough search 

 ot all this woodland ; but during the past season special 

 efibrts have been made to inspect it so far as was possible 

 under the circumstances, and enough is now known to justify 

 the presumption that colonies of the moth are scattered 

 through the woods from Lexington to the sea. Though 

 many of the colonies found have apparently had their origin 

 within two or three years, many others originated at least 



