50 FIELD WORK AGAINST GIPSY AND BROWN-TAIL MOTHS. 



WORK IN THE STATE OF MAINE. 





Webs of the brown-tail moth were found at Kittery, Me., in the 

 spring of 1904 by one of the deputy state nursery inspectors of New 

 Hampshire, and Prof. C. M. Weed, who was then entomologist of the 

 New Hampshire agricultural experiment station, informed Hon, 

 A. W. Gilman, commissioner of agriculture of Maine, of the presence 

 of this insect in the latter State. An examination was made at 

 Kittery and in the vicinity by Miss Edith M. Patch, entomologist of 

 the Maine agricultural experiment station, and through the efforts of 

 the above-named officials considerable work was done in the fall of 

 1904. Many winter webs were collected and burned. Infestations 

 were found not only in Kittery, but at York, Eliot, and other points 

 to the eastward along the coast. Owing to the large territory over 

 which this insect was spread the matter was brought to the atten- 

 tion of the legislature the following winter and an act passed appro- 

 priating $5,000 for the year 1905, and $5,000 for the year 1906, for the 

 purpose of controlling the pest. The office of state entomologist 

 was created and placed under the direction of the state commissioner 

 of agriculture, and Prof. E. F. Hitchings, of Waterville, Me., was 

 appointed to take charge of the work. Many of the towns in the 

 infested section voluntarily raised funds to fight the pest, so that a 

 considerable amount in addition to the state appropriation was 

 available for expenditure during the years mentioned. 



Owing to the danger of the State becoming infested with the gipsy 

 moth, an appeal for a national appropriation was urged by the State 

 of Maine, in connection with other New England States, and in the 

 fall of 1906 it was possible for this office to send several scouting 

 parties into the section of Maine nearest the infested area in New 

 Hampshire. As a result of this inspection, egg clusters of the gipsy 

 moth were found at Kittery, Eliot, York, South Berwick, Wells, 

 Kennebunk, and Kennebunkport. Several men examined the prin- 

 cipal cities and towns east of Portland, but no infestation was found 

 except a single egg cluster discovered by these men on the grounds of 

 the National Soldiers' Home at Togus, Me., which was 81 miles from 

 the nearest known infested locality. Doubtless this infestation was 

 brought about by inmates or visitors unintentionally conveying 

 some of the insects from the infested territory on their clothing or 

 among their personal effects. The work during the year 1906 was 

 continued in Maine with great vigor. The towns found infested 

 showed a generous spirit of cooperation in fighting not only the gipsy 

 moth but the brown-tail moth. The Old York Transcript, in its 

 issue of January 18, 1907, stated that 120,000 brown-tail webs (fig. 

 16) were burned in a single day. Most of the money expended for 

 collecting these webs was raised by private subscription or appro- 



