RAVAGES OF 1891. 



59 



which was set on a hill near by. Water was drawn by a 

 hose from a near hydrant, and the trees, shrubbery and vege- 

 tation in the whole neighborhood were sprayed heavily with 

 Paris green. As this did not appear to check the ravages 

 of the larvse, the locality was resprayed at once. Within a 

 few days of the time of the last spraying nearly every green 

 leaf on several acres was eaten by the caterpillars. This 

 destruction continued incessantly, and the injury spread in 

 all directions. Six gangs of men were despatched at once 

 with orders to surround the infested locality and work 

 from tKe outside to the centre, and burn with an oil spray 

 all undergrowth and everything on which the larvae could 

 feed, destroying at the same time with the fire all the cater- 

 pillars possible. This treatment effectually checked their 

 difiusion, thereby preventing further injury. The pupse 

 were raked off the worst-infested trunks and burned or other- 

 wise destroyed. 



Mr. C. R. Drew of Medford, writing of the numbers of 

 the moth in 1891 at his place, says : — 



There seemed to be almost millions of gypsy-moth caterpillars 

 in 1891 at the corner of Fountain and Salem streets, where I then 

 lived. They very nearly destroyed a blue pearmain apple tree. 

 It bore no fruit that year. This tree blossomed out in the spring, 

 but when it began to leaf out the caterpillars attacked it and every 

 vestige of green disappeared. It looked as if fire had run through 

 the tree. Several sweet- apple trees were also badly eaten. You 

 could hear the noise of the caterpillars eating in the trees at dusk. 

 They were so thick that you could scrape them off anywhere. They 

 crawled all over the concrete, and we crushed them as we walked. 

 We had seats on the grass under the trees, but we could not sit 

 there because the caterpillars dropped down so thickly. It was 

 possible daily to gather a half water- bucketful of them, but the 

 next day they would be just as bad. 



Mr. L. B. Sanderson, an employee of the Board, re- 

 ports : — 



At Mr. Drew's yard we got one day twenty-two quarts of cater- 

 pillars. 



Such cases, however, were exceptional, for the greater 

 portion of moths in the worst-infested places were destroyed 



