1909.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 73. M 



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State, and the question of dealing with the gypsy moth prom- 

 ises to be one of the most important problems for these towns 

 in the futm-e. If sufficient funds are not made available for 

 moth work the coming year, gi-eat damage will occur in a num- 

 ber of places and the beauty of many large estates will be seri- 

 ously impaired. During the past caterpillar season Brookline, 

 Xewton, Waltham and Georgetown suffered to a consider- 

 able extent from sti'ipping in both the residential and wood- 

 land sections. At tljjs writing Brookline and ;N"ewton are 

 showing more interest than formerly, and seem to appreciate 

 the danger before them. They are now pushing the work more 

 vigorously than ever before. In Waltham, unless more effi- 

 cient and extensive work is done, severe damage and much an- 

 noyance from tbe caterpillars will be experienced next season. In 

 Greorgetown the brown-tail moth caused serious damage in sev- 

 eral large orchards. The gypsy moth infestation also is of such 

 a kind that more care must be exercised in the coming season 

 to avert serious damage in many places. The liability of the 

 towns in this class and the allotments which the State is able 

 to make will not be sufficient to check the moths, and some co- 

 operative measures must be adopted to continue the necessary 

 fight, and put the colonies in a proper condition to be handled 

 economically in the future. Many owners of estates are ex- 

 pending lai'ge sums of money in ridding their property of the 

 pests, and they should receive some protection. Where they 

 are surrounded by woodland, this protective measure would 

 necessitate the expenditure of large sums of mouey, so it will 

 readily be seen that other resources than the State and town 

 will have to be drawn upon in such places. In several locali- 

 ties where the infestation is very bad, citizens are purchasing 

 large spraying outfits for their own use, and in some cases 

 loaning them to the local authorities. Other cities and towns 

 are electing committees to act with the local superintendent of 

 moth work in raising funds from individiials to be expended 

 raider the direction of the local authorities, and in other places 

 the members of improvement societies are leaving their estates 

 in the hands of the local authorities, agreeing to pay the whole 

 expense incurred on their estates for the year. It is often of 

 value for the local authorities to interview property owners who 



