264 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



Report op Pitop. F. L. Harvey, Botanist and Entomologist, 

 Maine Experiment Station, Okono, Me. 



To the Members of the Oyjisy Moth Committee of the State Board of 



Agriculture of Massachusetts, 



Gentlemen : — In compliance with your courteous invitation 

 (extended to me through Prof. C. H. Fernald) "to inspect the 

 work of the gypsy moth committee and give my impressions and 

 advice," I visited Maiden the latter part of July, and spent two 

 days examining the work of the committee in the office, labora- 

 tories and fiekl. Through the courtesies of Director E. H. For- 

 bush and others of the department every opportunity was afforded 

 me to gain a thorough knowledge of the scope and character of 

 the work of the committee. 



I went to Maiden with an entirely Inadequate conception of the 

 territory affected, and the stupendous undertaking of the com- 

 mittee to reduce or exterminate the gypsy moth. I first visited 

 the office, and was surprised by the ingenuity and thoroughness 

 displayed in keeping the field notes and indexing them for ready 

 reference. A mass of information regarding the habits, natural 

 history and anatomy of this insect has been accumulated by 

 Professor Fernald, Director Forbush and their assistants. This 

 seems so important that for the good of entomological science it is 

 hoped it may be sifted by a competent entomologist and published 

 as a monograph by the committee. The pains taken in examining 

 the men for field work and the almost military exactness required 

 of them in their labor and reports reflect great credit upon the 

 organizing ability of the director, and speak much for the 

 efficiency of the service. 



The worlc being done in the laboratory and insectary upon the 

 life-history of the moth, its parasites and histology, and upon 

 remedies, was timely and thorough. I was especially interested 

 in the histological work, conducted by Mr. A. H. Kirklaud, to 

 determine if possible what becomes of the arsenical poison the 

 full-grown larvae are known to eat with impunity, and also the 

 trap experiments under the direction of Mr. Kirkland. 



The store-house for apparatus and supplies impresses one with 

 tlie magnitude of the work, and is instructive in the novel 

 apparatus invented to fight this pest. 



The results obtained in the experiments on insecticides, by Mr. 

 F. C. Moulton, are most important, and bid fair to be of great 

 usefulness to economic entomology. 



The field methods of searching for the eggs, larvae and pupae, 



