34 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1 
States concerned and to secure from each sum- bo far as possible as many men 
from the respective State officers as could be obtained for supervisory purp 
The men engaged on the work wore drawn from unemployed lists through the 
United states Employment Service and from Works Progress Administration 
rolls, t>"> percent of which were from relief rolls. 
The purpose of the work was to cut ami destroy by burning all webs of the 
brown-tai] moth in the Infested territory; to examine carefully as much terri- 
tory as possible Immediately surrounding thai Infested; and in selected an 
remove favored food plaids, particularly apple, wild cherry, and plum, and in 
this way render the area less susceptible to Infestation. Worthless ami uncared- 
for trees were treated in this way. as it is possible to control the Insect satisfac- 
torily in orchards where the trees are regularly cared for ami sprayed. 
The force was gradually Increased during the fall and was continued until 
April MO, when it was too late in the season satisfactorily to remove the webs. 
The maximum Dumber of men employed on this project was 1,800. Work was 
done in 366 towns in 40 counties of the G New England State-, and 391,708 
trees were cut and burned, a vast majority of these being worthless apple 
tii.-. In addition to this, cutting was done on 1. 356 acres where individual 
trees and sprout growth, favorable as food for the hrown-tail moth, occurred. 
The details by States and the totals are shown in table 12. 
Table 12. — Summary of work accomplished under Works Progress At/ministra- 
tion brown-tail moth project t fiscal year H'-in 
State 
Trees cut 
Area cut 
Roadside 
scouted 
Estimated 
area 
scouted 
Trees 
examined 
Brown-tail 
moth webs 
cut 
Xumber 
74, 394 
35, 675 
102 
2S0. 449 
1,083 

Acres 



1,356 


Miles 
10,616 
9,931 
781 
8,523 
2,696 
1.844 
Acres 
978, 072 
911,480 
71,852 
784, 110 
248, 032 
169, 648 
Nu mbtr 
5, 019, 670 
5, 569. 774 
432, 402 
2, 599, 267 
576,716 
1,014,819 
Number 
1,256,085 
New Hampshire 
- ^461 
Vermont 

629,323 
Rhode Island 
305 

Total 
391,703 
1,356 
34,391 
3, 161, 7S0 
15,212,648 
4, 672. 175 
Observations made in the summer of 1335 indicated very little severe defolia- 
tion by this insect, hut it did occur in a limited number of localities. The 
records given in table 12 show clearly that the insect occurred in sufficient 
numbers to cause a rapid increase of the pest if the work had not been done 
the following winter. In some sections of southern .Maine, in the southern 
and eastern sections of New Hampshire, and in southeastern Massachusetts 
the Infestation was heavy, and in two tOWUS in Rhode Island adjoining the 
Massachusetts line small infestations were found which were the tirst that 
had been recorded in that State for many years. In some towns, particularly 
along the outside border of the Infested area, no webs were found, it Is 
apparent that if this project can he followed up continuously and intensively 
for a number of years, the Infested area can be gradually reduced and the 
Insect exterminated, as h is not known to occur in any other section of the 
United States. 
CONDITION OF SATIN MOTH INFESTATION IN NEW BNG1 AMI 
During the summer of 1835 the records obtained Indicated that while this 
species has not reached the condition of abundance recorded in past yean it 
is noticeably on the increase in a number ^<\ sections of the Infested territory. 
In Massachusetts there were 11 towns, situated mainly in the eastern half of 
the State, iii which noticeable defoliation was reported in the summer of 1935. 
iii ;iii cases this defoliation was confined to a very few trees. Reports ><( 
defoliation in restricted areas were received from three towns in N<-w Hamp- 
shire, and noticeable defoliation occurred at one Infested spot in Rhode Island. 
