PROMPT TREATMENT OK THE GYPSY-MOTH. 



infested territory, gathering and destroying the eggs of 

 the moth. The progress ^^■as necessarily slow, as every 

 tree, shrub, wall, fence, pig-pen, hen-house, shed, and 

 even the dwelling-houses and barns in the most thickly 

 infested territory, had to be carefully examined by th-j 

 men, and afterwards in- 



341 



Paris green gave better results than any other mix- 

 ture. When it was properly applied to plants, all 

 newly - hatched caterpillars that were fed upon them 

 died within a few days ; glucose w.as added to the mix- 

 ture to retain the poison upon the foliage. 



spected by the most ex- 

 pert among them. Old 

 stone walls were burned 

 out by the use of crude 

 petroleum. The oil was 

 forced among the stones 

 in the form of a spray, 

 by the use of pumps 

 and spraying - nozzles. 

 Large tracts of land 

 covered with brush 

 were burned over after 

 the brush had been cut 

 and sprayed with petro- 

 leum, and in some cases 

 woodland was cut and 

 burned over after the 

 wood worth saving had 

 been examined and re- 

 moved. Wherever 

 worthless, hollow trees 

 were found infested, 

 they were felled and 

 burned. In this way 

 vast numbers of moths 

 and their eggs were 

 destroyed during the 

 season. 



As it was observed 

 early in the campaign 

 that the distribution of 

 the caterpillars was ef- 

 fected largely by their 

 falling from the trees 

 upon teams, an effort 

 was made to destroy all 

 eggs upon trees on or 

 near the highways. Be- 

 fore the hatching of the 

 eggs, many large street- 

 trees were banded with 

 strips of tarred paper as 

 a means of protecting 

 them from the gypsy- 

 moth and canker-worm. 

 This remedy proved 

 very effective. Great Tidies Sti 



numbers of eggs had 



been deposited on buildings, fences and other objects 

 near the trees. As soon as the young caterpillars left 

 the eggs, instinct led them to the trees, and, as they 

 crawled upward to find food, many were entangled in 

 the cotton-waste under the tarred paper and perished. 



The work carried on last season was so effective that 

 all large colonies of the moth were destroyed. Where in 

 past seasons the trees bore neither leaves nor fruit, last 

 year a good crop was realized. Where last season 

 thousands of eggs were seen upon the trees, now \ery 



