﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  STATE 
  ENTOMOLOGIST 
  I908 
  43 
  

  

  tion 
  of 
  the 
  residential 
  area 
  was 
  very 
  gratifying, 
  practically 
  no 
  trees 
  

   either 
  along 
  the 
  roads 
  or 
  on 
  private 
  estates 
  were 
  defoliated. 
  Con- 
  

   tinuing, 
  we 
  passed 
  from 
  Melrose 
  northward 
  and 
  eastward 
  to 
  Lynn, 
  

   thence 
  to 
  Salem 
  and 
  across 
  to 
  Beverly. 
  The 
  same 
  conditions 
  pre- 
  

   vailed 
  as 
  were 
  observed 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Arlington, 
  except 
  that 
  

   the 
  injury 
  north 
  of 
  Salem 
  appeared 
  for' 
  the 
  most 
  part 
  to 
  be 
  more 
  

   recent 
  and 
  the 
  woodland 
  had 
  not 
  suffered 
  so 
  much, 
  though 
  limited 
  

   tracts 
  here 
  and 
  there 
  were 
  evidently 
  badly 
  infested. 
  The 
  street 
  

   trees 
  of 
  Salem, 
  though 
  in 
  very 
  bad 
  condition 
  a 
  few 
  years 
  ago, 
  are 
  

   now 
  practically 
  free 
  from 
  the 
  pest. 
  

  

  The 
  authorities 
  are 
  depending 
  upon 
  several 
  methods 
  for 
  the 
  

   control 
  of 
  the 
  gipsy 
  moth. 
  Owning 
  to 
  the 
  short 
  season 
  during 
  

   which 
  spraying 
  is 
  practical, 
  an 
  effort 
  has 
  been 
  made 
  to 
  accomplish 
  

   as 
  much 
  as 
  possible 
  by 
  winter 
  work, 
  which 
  latter 
  consists 
  in 
  creo- 
  

   soting 
  egg 
  masses 
  on 
  trees 
  throughout 
  the 
  infested 
  area. 
  This 
  is 
  

   supplemented, 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  woodlands, 
  by 
  burning 
  over 
  the 
  ground 
  

   in 
  order 
  to 
  destroy 
  egg 
  masses 
  which 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  broken 
  while 
  

   climbing 
  the 
  trees 
  or 
  dislodged 
  by 
  birds 
  or 
  other 
  natural 
  agents. 
  

   This 
  burning 
  is 
  preferably 
  deferred 
  till 
  early 
  spring, 
  after 
  the 
  eggs 
  

   have 
  hatched, 
  and 
  is 
  usually 
  preceded 
  by 
  cutting 
  out 
  the 
  under- 
  

   brush. 
  The 
  latter, 
  if 
  abundant, 
  must 
  be 
  removed 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  trees 
  

   vvill 
  not 
  be 
  injured 
  by 
  fire. 
  Then, 
  by 
  carefully 
  controlling 
  the 
  

   flames, 
  and 
  especially 
  by 
  backfiring, 
  it 
  is 
  possible 
  to 
  burn 
  over 
  a 
  

   large 
  area 
  without 
  materially 
  injuring 
  the 
  forest. 
  The 
  extended 
  

   area 
  infested 
  makes 
  it 
  impossible 
  to 
  treat 
  all 
  parts 
  in 
  an 
  ideal 
  man- 
  

   ner, 
  and 
  a 
  rather 
  crude 
  method 
  of 
  controlling 
  the 
  pest 
  in 
  wood- 
  

   lands 
  has 
  been 
  adopted 
  in 
  some 
  cases. 
  This 
  is 
  accomplished 
  by 
  

   simply 
  allowing 
  the 
  caterpillars 
  to 
  strip 
  the 
  woods 
  and 
  then 
  burn 
  

   over 
  the 
  ground 
  just 
  as 
  the 
  majority 
  of 
  them 
  are 
  leaving 
  the 
  trees 
  

   and 
  seeking 
  food 
  elsewhere. 
  This 
  method 
  of 
  procedure, 
  while 
  un- 
  

   doubtedly 
  injurious 
  to 
  the 
  trees, 
  is 
  much 
  less 
  harmful 
  than 
  were 
  

   the 
  insects 
  allowed 
  to 
  propagate 
  without 
  restriction. 
  

  

  The 
  work 
  wnth 
  parasites 
  conducted 
  by 
  the 
  state 
  of 
  Massachu- 
  

   setts 
  in 
  cooperation 
  with 
  the 
  federal 
  government 
  is 
  most 
  encourag- 
  

   ing. 
  The 
  work 
  of 
  1907 
  has 
  been 
  considerably 
  extended 
  by 
  pro- 
  

   viding 
  larger 
  quarters 
  and 
  a 
  more 
  adequate 
  staff. 
  Furthermore, 
  

   special 
  efforts 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  to 
  secure 
  larger 
  sendings 
  from 
  

   European 
  countries, 
  and 
  a 
  special 
  agent 
  was 
  dispatched 
  to 
  Japan. 
  

   This 
  latter 
  undertaking 
  has 
  proved 
  most 
  encouraging, 
  in 
  that 
  a 
  

   large 
  Apanteles 
  and 
  a 
  new 
  egg 
  parasite 
  of 
  the 
  gipsy 
  moth 
  have 
  

   been 
  received 
  from 
  Japan, 
  and 
  the 
  Apanteles 
  at 
  least, 
  has 
  been 
  bred 
  

  

  