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the leaves, and it should be mixed with a substance to make it adhere. In other 

 words, all this work should be superintended by a careful, practical man, who knows 

 what to do. A part of the advantage of using the arsenicals in this part of the coun- 

 try would be that, aside from the destruction of Ocneria, it would pay to use it as 

 against the Tent Caterpillar, the Codling Moth, and various other insects that are so 

 prevalent in your orchards. It is one of the curious things which strike a man 

 traveling through Massachusetts that in a State where applied entomology has had 

 its origin in America an insect as common as the Tent Caterpillar, and which maybe 

 so easily mistaken for this very Ocneria, should be so abundant, and that so little 

 should be done to control it. You will have the same trouble with the Ocneria ; you 

 can't get the average Massachusetts farmer to bestir himself about it. 



Professor Shaler. Am I not right in supposing that our first care should be to drive 

 this pest in on the periphery at all costs, but to make surest of its destruction on the 

 periphery ? The number of inspectors we could have would be limited; therefore we 

 should take the extremest care with the periphery. With that in view, how would it 

 do, from now until the time the eggs hatch (they are conspicuous things ; you can see 

 them a great distance, and boys could gather them in quantities), to pay the school- 

 boys what would be a tempting price per ounce for the eggs. We would secure a 

 very large destruction on that basis, I think, between now and the time the eggs 

 hatch. We could put a person in each town, who should gather the eggs once a day, 

 pay for and destroy them. That is, m the regions that are thoroughly infected. In 

 that way I think we should diminish the number that are to be killed in the spring, 

 and that at small cost. 



Professor Ferxald. In reply to that, Professor Riley has already expressed his 

 opinion on that point. A year ago I had just the same opinion that Professor Riley 

 has, and expressed it to the commissioners, but they had already gone to work. I 

 talked with some entomologists about it, and they differed from me ; they thought it 

 did help to use other means than Paris green. Theoretically, it seems to me that 

 any other means would be a nee less expenditure of money, and Professor Riley's 

 suggestion to exterminate them in one year would be greatly to be hoped for, but I 

 question whether it would be wise for us to go from this meeting to the legislature 

 with that proposition. If you don't do it in one year and come back for a second ap- 

 propriation, you may find it difficult to get it. This is merely a policy suggestion. 

 I can conceive that even with the most thorough work that can be done with Paris 

 green in spraying trees a few might escape and start a new colony. Then in another 

 20 years this thing would come up again. 



Professor Shaler. Do you gentlemen agree that we must look forward to a careful 

 and continuous work against this moth ? 



Professor Riley. As I said before, we have nothing to do with the experience or 

 methods of Europe, where the insect prevails over vast areas and where nobody ex- 

 pects to exterminate it. Yet there have been instances of similar extermination, as, 

 for instance, what the Prussian Government did with the Potato Beetle, and here you 

 have an opportunity to show that you can stamp this thing out. I expect a few will 

 escape. That is why I made the suggestion that it would be wise to introduce such 

 parasites as can be used against it, with a view of permitting them to search u)ut 

 those which may have escaped. The matter, as I said, may not be possible, but if it 

 is, it is only possible in that way, and all other efforts would, I think, be rather 

 puerile and serve to bring the whole thing into popular disfavor. Set the school 

 boys to work on the eggs ; that is good as a prophylactic measure and would do a 

 certain amount of good, but the good would be very slight as compared with the 

 effective work you ought to do in the actual destruction of the caterpillars. As I 

 said before, the fact that the insect has been diminished in numbers would be rather 

 against the efficient extermination of the larvae in summer, for the reason that it is 

 harder to find an isolated bunch of caterpillars in a county than when they are 

 numerous. I still hold to the belief that whatever funds the legislature can give 

 you should be devoted to a prompt and effective attempt at stamping out. 

 27707— No. 9 2 



