PESTS AND PARASITES 



339 



stroyed by State authorities ; 

 or, where these were not avail- 

 able, by the agents of the Bu- 

 reau of Entomology of the 

 United States Department of 

 Agriculture. It is by no means 

 certain, however, that all of the 

 infested shipments have been 

 located and freed. 



It is scarcely necessary to 

 comment on the tremendous 

 danger to this country from the 

 careless introduction and wide 

 distribution of the brown-tail 

 and gypsy moths with nurs- 

 ery stock. The cost of these 

 insects in the New England 

 States has already been re- 

 ferred to. The tax from these 

 pests, should they gain a foot- 

 hold throughout the country, is 

 almost beyond estimate. 



In addition to their great de- 

 structiveness to orchards and 

 forests, the establishment of 

 the brown-tail or gypsy moths 

 in any suburban residential dis- 

 trict means an enormous depre- 

 ciation in property values, as is 

 well illustrated about the city 

 of Boston, and very notably 

 lessens the attractiveness of 

 coast or mountain summer-re- 

 sort districts. The north-shore 

 towns of Massachusetts and 

 lower Maine resorts have al- 

 ready felt this influence, and 

 for such regions as the Cats- 

 kills or Adirondacks the estab- 

 lishment of these pests would 

 mean an end of their more 

 pleasing features. Control over 

 such extended forested moun- 

 tains would be a practical im- 

 possibility, and few would care 

 to live amongst defoliated and 

 caterpillar-infested trees, with 

 the additional risk of danger- 

 ous and lasting poisoning from 

 contact with the hairs or molted 

 skins of the brown-tail moth. 



the: brown-tail rash 



In addition to the great monetary loss, 

 the brown-tail moth exercises a very 



A SEEDLING pine 



The white-pine blister rust, one of the most danger- 

 ous diseases of pine trees in Europe, is probably not 

 yet established in America. Seedling pines affected by 

 this disease are now being imported in enormous num- 

 bers. It was necessary to burn an entire shipment of 

 25,000 trees recently received in New York State. In 

 its early stages this disease shows no outward sign, and 

 hence can be excluded from this country only by pro- 

 hibiting the importation of seedling pines from dis- 

 tricts in Europe known to be infested. Its establish- 

 ment in America would mean a tremendous loss to 

 pine forests. The illustration is one of the diseased 

 pine seedlings. The excrescences on the stem are the 

 postules of the fungus. 



deleterious effect on health. The hairs 

 which cover the caterpillars of this moth 

 are strongly nettling, and not only are 

 they so from accidental contact with a 

 caterpillar which may fall on clothes, 



