70 



THE GYPSY MOTH. 



With the increased force provided by the larger appropria- 

 tion, it was possible to accomplish in 1893 much more than 

 had been done in former years. Every effort was made to 

 determine how far the moth had spread, and whether it had 

 passed beyond the limits of the region known to be infested 

 in 1891. Carefal inspection was made of a large number of 

 towns on the border line of the infested region, which resulted 

 in small colonies being found in three places just outside the 

 line drawn in 1891. It was evident that these colonies had 

 been in existence for several years, even before the work of 

 extermination was begun. One other colony was found at 

 Franklin Park in Boston. This had e^ddently been growing 

 for at least four or five years. Efforts were made to exter- 

 minate the moth from the outer belt of towns of the infested 

 reo^ion. These efforts were so successful that at the end of 

 the year no form of the moth was found in any of the follow- 

 ing towns : Beverly, Brighton, Burlington, Charlestown, 

 Danvers, Lynnfield, Marblehead, Reading, Waltham and 

 Watertown. 



During the season more than eight hundred colonies of 

 the moth had been exterminated. But a detailed search of 

 certain portions of the woodland in the infested region, which 

 had been suspected but had not been known before to be 

 infested, revealed small colonies scattered here and there, 

 indicating that while a large proportion of the force had 

 been concentrated upon the outer towns with a view to 

 extermiuating the moth there, the problem had been increas- 

 ing from within by the spreading of the moths into the 

 woodlands in the interior towns. 



The Board of Agriculture in its annual report on the 

 gypsy-moth work to the Legislature again advised that 

 everything possible be done to exterminate the moth, and 

 recommended that $165,000 be appropriated for the work 

 of the ensuing year. The magnitude of the work and the 

 possibility of destruction to the forests were stated, and 

 the plans for dealing with the moth in the woodland were 

 described. Statements from citizens were given showing the 

 destruction of trees and garden plants which had been accom- 

 plished by the moth in Massachusetts during the years before 

 the State began the work of extermination. 



