376 



Professor Riley. I should say you could count on 10 days after it was hatched. Its 

 gregarious nature makes that feasible. 



Professor Shaler. How much time is there before it begins to spin ? 



Professor Riley. I believe it takes 3 or 4 weeks. 



Professor Fernald. 1 think it highly desirable to make the attempt to stamp it 

 out. I don't know that it can be done, but it is worth trying. If we can not exter- 

 minate it, the other excellent remedies will come in in holding it in check. 



Professor Shaler. Had we not better wait until we can strike a hard blow and do 

 the best we can this year with prevention ? 



Professor Riley. I am strongly of opinion that you had better not wait. Some 

 contingencies may arise to give it a sudden impetus. I would adopt the auxiliary 

 methods of introducing parasites, etc., and I would also have a special committee 

 authorized to inspect all nursery stock that goes out from the infested region and not 

 allow it to go until passed upon by competent men. 



Professor Fernald thought the Federal Government might take charge of the 

 M'ork. Professor Riley stated that he would be glad to assist in any way possible, 

 but that since the establishment of State experiment stations, the Federal Govern- 

 ment felt it had no further function in the States, so far as local insects are concerned. 

 Professor Shaler thought the State of Massachusetts should make the fight itself, and 

 only ask for Federal aid in case it could not exterminate the pest ; $24,000 were on 

 haun, and he thought $25,000 or $50,000 more could be counted on from the legisla- 

 ture. 



Mr. Scudder. I don't understand the force of the arguments used by my neighbors 

 on either side (Professors Riley and Fernald) of delaying the work by not taking the 

 eggs at present. Why do they want all the caterpillars out that they can get. in 

 order to exterminate them ? 



Professor Shaler. It is a question of seeing them, I believe. 



Mr. Scudder. I understand. But if you destroy so many eggs that, say, only one 

 tree out of five is attacked, you have to deal with only one-fifth as many trees in 

 spraying. 



Professor Riley. I want to tell Mr. Scudder just why I rather urge the policy I 

 have advised. First of all, it is from the political side. If you ask for an appropri- 

 ation to stamp it out, you must do your best to stamp it out. As Professor Fernald 

 lias suggested, it is simply a question of means, and I would not think of asking for 

 less than $100,000, and I would concentrate that where it would do the most good. 

 Killing the eggs is frittering the money away at a time when it is not of so much 

 value as if concentrated. Secondly, I have little faith in the destruction of eggs in 

 this case, where they are laid on so many difl:ereut objects. I remember distinctly a 

 little cedar tree not more than 6 feet high, in my own grounds, that was attacked by 

 the Bagworm. I thought I would see whether I could not clear them off. I worked 

 for two consecutive months picking off from that tree the issue of not more than two 

 females. Almost daily I went to that tree and found fresh specimens that I had over- 

 looked the day before, yet in the Smithsonian Grounds I have absolutely stopped 

 similar injury on large trees in a few minutes by spraying. It would have been of no 

 use, in my judgment, to have attempted to eradicate them by hand picking. Sup- 

 pose you have somebody climb a tree and gather twelve batches of eggs, but he fails 

 to get the thirteenth. It will cost no more to spray a tree for the thirteen batches 

 than it will for the one. 



Professor Shaler. When I came here I was strongly in favor of offering a reward 

 for the eggs, but I admit I am shaken now. 



Mr. Scudder. I don't think you can get sufficient force to spray the trees thor- 

 oughly in the time allowed. 



Professor Shaler. I think we shall have to ask the Agricultural College to lend 

 us say 80 or 100 of their young men for this work. 



Mr. Sessions. There are many people living in the neighborhood of this spraying 



