370 



paper tied round the trees with a string. Undoubtealy the commissioners had de- 

 stroyed a great many of the insects. 



Professor Eiley. It is well known to feed upon a number of dififerent forest trees 

 that grow with us, and in the event of its getting beyond cultivated plants I should, 

 as I said, have very little hope of its ultimate extermination. I am not an alarmist, 

 and I do not believe that our people need to be so very seriously affected if it is not 

 exterminated, but, aside from that, the loss would go on increasing annually, and it 

 would become a very grievous additional pest to those the farmer and fruit-grower 

 already have to contend with. The thing you have to consider is this : From what 

 I could gather from the accounts in the newspapers, three measures were adopted: 

 First, by attempting to destroy the eggs; secondly, by attempting to destroy the 

 caterpillars after they had hatched, by means of arsenical spraying ; thirdly, by en- 

 deavoring to stop the artificial spread of the pest on vehicles, manure wagons, etc. 



Individually I have always felt, and so expressed myself, and still feel, that the 

 proper way would be to use whatever funds the State will give you during a limited 

 time and concentrate all effort and all expenditure in the month of June on the de- 

 struction of the caterpillars, and not to bother about the destruction of the eggs or 

 the prevention of the spread of the insect. These latter methods, necessarily intrusted 

 to persons who may be efficient or who may not, are apt to bring the whole subject 

 into popular disrepute and disfavor. You may reduce the numbers but you will 

 never exterminate it by destroying the eggs. Therefore, as a single spraying of a 

 tree will kill five thousand caterpillars just as well as one, there is nothing to be 

 gained by the work of destroying the eggs. Moreover, I do not believe there is much 

 to be gained in the work of preventing its spread by the examination of vehicles on 

 the main thoroughfares and on the railroads. On the contrary, I believe that the 

 only way to accomplish that end is by a very strict law which the legislature should 

 pass, giving the power to some committee to absolutely prohibit the sending of nur- 

 sery stock or any plant growth or material, probably including manure, out of an in- 

 fected district without inspection. My belief is that a rigid quarantine law making 

 it a penal offense for a nurseryman to send cuttings or trees from any given infected 

 area without first having the sanction of this Commission would be effective in pre- 

 venting the spread. That is to say, there should be a competent person or persons 

 appointed to whom all such shipments should be submitted, and only upon their ap- 

 proval should such shipment be allowed to pass out from that area. That would be 

 the only simple and efficient way of preventing its spread. 



My impression is that the danger is far greater from overlooking a batch of eggs 

 during the months of the year when such a thing is possible, and of the insects being 

 transmitted in that way, than there would be in the mere carrying of the caterpillars. 

 I would therefore concentrate all efforts on the destruction of the caterpillars. I 

 believe that even in an area as extended as Professor Shaler indicates, if the legis- 

 lature would appropriate ^100,000, the thing could be done. Let it be used under the 

 intelligent guidance of some one who bas had experience, who knows practically how 

 to spray, who can go to work intelligently and instruct his men and have a sufficient 

 force to examine every tree, and cultivated plant upon which this insect is known to 

 feed, and make sure that wherever it is it will be destroyed before the change into 

 the chrysalis state takes place. In other words, I do not see why, with $100,000, a 

 single year ought not to suffice to stamp it out from the area in which you know it 

 to be found. I believe it can be done, and that the State of Massachusetts would be 

 justified in making the attempt. In Europe this injury is at times not great ; at other 

 times it is quite extensive ; but it is chiefly notable in those places where there are 

 very large areas of cultivated forests. Bavaria, for instance, has lately suffered 

 greatly from it. Experience there has shown that it is easily checked by the use of 

 sticky bands, very much the same methods as you have employed here for the canker 

 worm. They use several kinds of glue (manufactured, and some of them patented 

 by different firms), which is procured in large quantities and smeared on the trees. 



I 



