WORK BY THE STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS. 49 



Much credit is due to the State of Massachusetts for the energetic 

 manner with which this campaign has been waged. The officials at the 

 state office, under the direction of Mr. Kirkland, and later under Mr. 

 L. H. Worthley and State Forester Rane (in whose charge the work 

 was placed by the last legislature), have accompHshed excellent 

 results in spite of the many difficulties which had to be met and 

 overcome. 



The work undertaken in Beverly, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Glouces- 

 ter, and Rockport — the region which is known as the north shore of 

 Massachusetts Bay — and also in the towns of Hamilton, Wenham, 

 and Essex deserves special mention. The value of the woodland in 

 this section is probably greater than any other area of the same size 

 in New England, and this fact, together with the magnificent ocean 

 scenery, has resulted in these towns becoming the summer residences 

 of many prominent citizens from all parts of the country. The gipsy 

 moth threatens the destruction of these valuable forests, and as the 

 land is of little agricultural value the towns concerned would shrink 

 thousands of dollars in valuation, and much of the territory would 

 be uninhabitable during the summer season, thus working a double 

 loss to the sections of the State concerned. During the past two 

 years a special fund for carrying on the work has been furnished on 

 the basis of the State supplying one-third, the city of Beverly and 

 the town of Manchester one- third, and the balance being subscribed 

 by the summer residents. In 1909 over $60,000 was expended, the 

 work being carried on by the state forester's office. Over 2,100 

 acres of woodland have been thinned, sprayed, and protected from 

 moth injury. 



Col. Wm. D. Sohier, chairman of the citizens' committee which 

 raised private funds for carrying on the work, in a report recently 

 issued, says: 



It is perfectly evident that had it not been for the work which was done last year 

 and this year conditions on the north shore from Beverly all the way down through 

 Manchester would have been unbearable. All the trees would have been stripped 

 except on a few private estates, and all the pines and hemlocks would have been 

 killed. 



Many improvements in methods have been developed while the 

 work has been in progress. Most of these resulted from suggestions 

 made by different members of the state and government forces. A 

 large number of ideas have been tried out in the field to test their 

 utility, and a considerable number of these have been made cooper- 

 atively between the state and governmental offices. The whole effort 

 has been to secure the best results by adopting the cheapest possible 

 methods, and practical suggestions have been received with alacrity. 

 40705"— Bull. 87—10 4 



