﻿Report 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  Entomologist. 
  181 
  

  

  the 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  Massachusetts 
  State 
  T 
  Board 
  of 
  Agriculture, 
  

   for 
  its 
  extermination 
  while 
  within 
  the 
  limited 
  locality 
  of 
  the 
  

   northeastern 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  State, 
  where 
  it 
  is 
  at 
  present 
  confined. 
  

  

  This 
  is 
  the 
  fourth 
  year 
  of 
  active 
  operations 
  against 
  this 
  insect 
  

   under 
  annual 
  appropriations 
  by 
  the 
  State 
  Legislature, 
  which 
  

   have 
  now 
  amounted 
  in 
  the 
  aggregate 
  to 
  $275,000. 
  

  

  In 
  June 
  last 
  an 
  invitation 
  was 
  extended 
  to 
  me 
  by 
  the 
  com- 
  

   mittee 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  Board 
  of 
  Agriculture 
  to 
  visit 
  the 
  infested 
  

   district 
  in 
  company 
  with 
  the 
  State 
  Entomologists 
  of 
  adjoining 
  

   States, 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  inspecting 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  the 
  committee, 
  

   and 
  to 
  offer 
  such 
  suggestions 
  or 
  criticisms 
  as 
  it 
  might 
  be 
  thought 
  

   proper 
  to 
  make. 
  

  

  Every 
  facility 
  was 
  afforded 
  for 
  thorough 
  examination, 
  such 
  as 
  

   witnessing 
  the 
  field 
  operations 
  of 
  spraying, 
  kerosening 
  and 
  burn- 
  

   ing 
  rocky 
  and 
  waste 
  places 
  ; 
  banding 
  and 
  liming 
  trees 
  for 
  pre- 
  

   venting 
  the 
  ascent 
  of 
  the 
  caterpillars 
  ; 
  personal 
  inspection 
  of 
  the 
  

   present 
  condition 
  in 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  twenty 
  towns 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  

   insect 
  has 
  occurred 
  ; 
  the 
  experimental 
  work 
  being 
  conducted 
  at 
  

   the 
  Insectary 
  at 
  Amherst, 
  in 
  testing 
  the 
  susceptibility 
  of 
  the 
  larvae 
  

   to 
  various 
  insecticides, 
  and 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  life-history 
  of 
  the 
  

   insect 
  and 
  its 
  habits 
  ; 
  the 
  method 
  of 
  recording 
  by 
  the 
  office 
  staff 
  

   the 
  field 
  observations 
  made 
  by 
  the 
  force 
  of 
  nearly 
  two 
  hundred 
  

   employes 
  ; 
  the 
  various 
  instruments 
  and 
  appliances 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  

   field-work, 
  with 
  the 
  manner 
  of 
  their 
  use, 
  etc., 
  etc. 
  

  

  The 
  inspection 
  was 
  very 
  satisfactory 
  and 
  gratifying 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  

   same 
  time 
  instructive, 
  as 
  showing 
  what 
  may 
  be 
  done 
  in 
  arresting 
  

   insect 
  depreciations 
  when 
  the 
  task 
  would 
  seem 
  almost 
  a 
  hopeless 
  

   one. 
  I 
  had 
  not 
  expected 
  to 
  find 
  that 
  such 
  progress 
  had 
  been 
  

   made 
  toward 
  the 
  extermination 
  of 
  the 
  myriads 
  of 
  the 
  notorious 
  

   gypsy 
  moth. 
  It 
  was 
  a 
  surprise 
  to 
  me 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  brief 
  space 
  of 
  

   three 
  years, 
  the 
  fearful 
  ravages 
  of 
  the 
  insect,, 
  as 
  described 
  to 
  me 
  

   and 
  as 
  pictured 
  in 
  photographs, 
  could 
  have 
  been 
  reduced 
  to 
  such 
  

   a 
  degree 
  of 
  comparative 
  harmlessness, 
  that 
  to 
  the 
  ordinary 
  

   observer 
  no 
  indication 
  of 
  its 
  presence 
  was 
  visible 
  ; 
  and 
  in 
  a 
  ride 
  

   of 
  an 
  entire 
  day 
  though 
  several 
  of 
  "the 
  worst 
  infested 
  towns," 
  

   including 
  a 
  visit 
  to 
  localities 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  frightfully 
  scourged, 
  

   not 
  a 
  single 
  example 
  of 
  the 
  larva 
  could 
  be 
  found 
  by 
  me, 
  although 
  

   diligent 
  search 
  for 
  it 
  was 
  made. 
  

  

  