248 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



Chester. Arrangements were made which would enable the 

 agents of the Board of Agriculture to do such work as 

 might be necessary in the Fells without conflicting with the 

 plans of the Park Commission. 



Early in March, the weather being favorable, the force 

 of men engaged in field work was increased. Inspecting 

 and eofSf-killino; were carried on whenever the weather per- 

 mitted until the first of May, when, the appropriation 

 being nearly exhausted, the entire field force was dis- 

 charged. This enforced suspension of the work was most 

 unfortunate, occurring as it did wiien the men were destroy- 

 ing the egg-clusters at the rate of thousands per day. 

 Before work was resumed the remaining eggs had hatched 

 and the larvte had scattered. Had the work not been thus 

 interrupted, it would have been possible in many places to 

 destroy these young larvre en masse by means of burning. 



Later in May the Legislature passed a bill appropriating 

 $100,000 for the work. Field work was immediately 

 resumed, and one hundred men were engaged in burlapping 

 trees. The delay in making the appropriation had so 

 hindered the work of the spring and shortened the time for 

 inspection that only a small proportion of the towns in the 

 infested region had been inspected and cleared of eggs 

 before hatching time. As a consequence the men were 

 obliged to search for the caterpillars, — a much more expen- 

 sive method of checking the increase of the pest than egg- 

 killing. The delay in examining and employing men for 

 the field work, which was rendered inevitable by the late- 

 ness of the appropriation, also greatly retarded the work of 

 the summer. 



Sprai/ing. 



During the experimental work of 1893 arsenate of lead 

 was first used as an insecticide by our chemist, Mr. F. C. 

 Moulton. The results of experiments on the gypsy moth 

 with this insecticide, which were made by Professor Fernald 

 and his assistants, were so successful that it was used in the 

 field on a limited scale during the spring of 1894. 



Spraying was begun eai'ly in May. Although arsenate of 

 lead when used in great strength has proved the most effec- 

 tive insecticide yet used on the gypsy moth, it was soon 



