u 
the work as that called for by the Congressional act. In order, there- 
fore, that no time should be wasted, work was begun immediately upon 
passage of the act, in April, although the legislation was not effective 
until the beginning of the fiscal year, July 1. At the latest possible 
moment before the bursting of the buds in the spring he visited Boston 
and watched carefully through several days the winter work of the 
committee in inspection, egg destruction, forest clearing, burning over 
of ground, and preparations for summer work, making at the same time 
a more or less careful round of the infested territory. 
In May he again visited the headquarters of the committee in 
Maiden, watched the work of this season, which consisted practically 
in burlaping trees in the portions of the territory in which this 
method was to be relied upon. In June the first assistant entomolo- 
gist, Mr. Marlatt, who has for some years interested himself particu- 
larly in the matter of insecticides and insecticide appliances, was 
deputed to take up the work and carefully examine its progress and 
the general conditions and to formulate an independent opinion. In 
July the writer once more went over the ground, thoroughly investi- 
gating the critical midsummer work of the field force, and at the same 
time interviewed several persons who were opposed to the continuance 
of the State work on so large a scale. In September the exped ition 
was repeated, the early fall work was looked into, and additional 
information gained. In November a final trip was taken for the pur- 
pose of verifying all doubtful points. At this time some of the most 
interesting and important work of the whole season in the way of the 
wholesale destruction of the egg clusters in the Medford woodland 
district about Pine Hill was being carried on. This work was studied, 
other portions of the regions were visited, and a number of persons 
were consulted. 
PRESENT CONDITION OF THE INFESTKD TERRITORV. 
As the conclusions which we may justly draw from our summary of 
the work which the State of Massachusetts has done in this gipsy- 
moth investigation must be based largely upon the piesent condition 
of the territory in comparison with what its condition has been in 
previous years, we must be more detailed in this section of the bulletin 
than in others. It will be, in fact, impossible to present a satisfactory 
view of the present condition without detailed consideration of the 
exact facts connected with each of the thirty-two towns in the territory 
in question. These are given hereafter. It must be distinctly under- 
stood that while what is said under these headings of the condition of 
the different localities in the previous years has not all been substan- 
tiated by personal investigation on the part of the writer practically 
all of that which relates to conditions in 1897 has been so substantiated, 
and he is thoroughly convinced of the accuracy of /the statements 
which follow. 
