No. 4.] THE GYPSY MOTH. 247 



Field Directoh's Report. 



To the Committee on the Qypsy Moth, Insects and Birds. 



Gentlemen : — By retaining a portion of the appropria- 

 tion of 1893, the committee was enabled to l^eep some of 

 the most competent men employed through most of the 

 winter. These served as a nucleus for a summer force. 

 There were eighty-three men at work on Jan. 1, 1894. 

 Much of the weather durino; the month was mild, and there- 

 fore favorable for the search for and destruction of e^fffs. 

 On bright winter days, when the temperature is not too low, 

 the leafless deciduous trees can Ije inspected to the best 

 advantage. Thousands of egg-clusters were gathered dur- 

 ing the month, the small amount of snow making possible 

 the examination of woods as well as open and cultivated 

 lands. In cold and stormy weather the men cut and burned 

 infested brush and trees in Saugus, Swampscott, Arlington, 

 Medford, Somerville, Stoneham and Winchester. 



During the month of February the work of cleaning up 

 infested places in the outer towns and cuttins: and burning 

 worthless infested trees and brush was continued without 

 intermission, except when the snow was so deep upon the 

 ground as to render such work impracticable. On February 

 13 a heavy snow-storm caused most of the work in the field 

 to be suspended for a time. Later in February the men 

 were employed again, and the weather being more favor- 

 able, much necessary work was done in the way of inspect- 

 ing, scraping trees and otherwise preparing for the summer 

 work infested localities in the outer towns. 



On March 6 the committee held a joint meeting with the 

 Metropolitan Park Commission, which had recently taken 

 for a public forest reservation most of the Middlesex Fells, 

 situated in Maiden, Medford, Melrose, Stoneham and AVin- 



