THE FIRST COMMISSIOI^. 



39 



the commissioners in the assumption that fifty square miles 

 of territory were then more or less infested. 



It soon became apparent that the appropriation of twenty- 

 five thousand dollars would be entirely insufiicient for the 

 needs of the season's work, chief of which was the expensive 

 item of spraying. On May 9, in a communication addressed 

 to Governor Brackett, the commission reported having found 

 the infested territory " some sixteen times as large as first 

 represented," and asked for an additional appropriation of 

 twenty-five thousand dollars. This appropriation was made 

 by the Legislature and approved June 3, 1890. The force 

 of employees was increased as the season advanced, and 

 reached its maximum streng-th in June, eighty-nine men 

 being employed from June 16 to 28. 



During the month of April many eggs of the moth were 

 scraped from the trees and destroyed by the employees of the 

 commission. Early in May the spraying of infested trees 

 and foliao^e with Paris oreen was beo'un and continued until 

 about the middle of July. This was the principal work of 

 the summer. Fifteen teams were in use, and spraying was 

 done in Medford, Maiden, Arlington, Chelsea and Everett. 

 The greatest amount of spraying was done in the Glenwood 

 and Wellington sections of Medford and the Edgeworth dis- 

 trict of Maiden. 



Another feature of the season's work was the guarding of 

 highways leading out of Medford and Maiden, with the view 

 to preventing the further dissemination of the moth by means 

 of Vehicles. About a dozen special policemen were em- 

 ployed in this duty from early in June until the last of July. 

 They were on duty twelve hours in the day. Caterpillars of 

 the moth were found on many vehicles going out of the in- 

 fested district. 



Large kerosene torches were used during the summer to 

 burn the clustering caterpillars. Considerable cutting and 

 burning of infested trees and bushes was also done, the chief 

 work of this sort being in the badly infested woodland north 

 and south of the railroad at Glenwood. About twenty acres 

 of ground were thus cleared. 



In September and October a few men were engaged in 

 scraping eggs from the trees in Medford, Maiden, Somerville, 



