2 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 1933 
arrangements to provide headquarters and storage, also to pay some miscellane- 
ous items, and Federal funds, totaling $78,000, were drawn from the barrier-zone 
project to carry on the needed scouting and extermination activities. 
A rapid survey made by four Federal experts in the fall of 1932 indicated that 
the heavily infested area included the city of Pittston, and extended north, east 
and south. By the end of September, 48 additional men had been withdrawn 
from New England, and they continued work in Pennsylvania until early in 
November. Small infested centers were found in all directions, but there were 
fewer toward the west. This rough survey indicated that about 15 square miles 
could be considered heavily infested and that 95 square miles contained small 
local infestations. A surrounding area of an average width of about 3 miles was 
scouted roughly, particularly along the roads, to determine in a general way the 
limits of the area infested. 
Later, the banks of the Susquehanna River to flood mark were scouted from 
Ransom to Nanticoke, and the Lackawanna River from its mouth to beyond the 
northern limits of the city of Scranton. This resulted in locating a number of 
dangerous infestations which were immediately treated. In addition to this, the 
area scouted embraced the entire cities of Scranton and Pittston and many small 
towns and villages, as well as the northern part of the city of Wilkes-Barre. 
The funds available were not sufficient to determine the limits of infestation as 
it was necessary to concentrate most of the work in the heavily infested central 
district. The area so far found to be infested is 230 square miles. 
The most urgent need was to reduce the infestation materially, particularly 
in the badly infested central area, before the larvae hatched in late April or early 
May, in order to prevent spread, and to do as much scouting and treatment as 
possible in the outlying areas. 
The work has been carried on in cooperation with the State department of 
agriculture and the department of forests and waters. The Federal force 
supervised the work, furnished as many experts as possible, and supplied such 
spraying equipment, tools, insecticides, etc., as the funds available would permit. 
The State department of agriculture furnished labor and part of the supplies and 
also leased a building for office storage and headquarters for transport and spray- 
ing equipment in the city of Wilkes-Barre. An arrangement was made between 
the State department of agriculture and the State relief department to set up 
a fund of $100,000 to furnish work to the unemployed in the infested area. 
This arrangement was approved by the Governor, the funds were allotted equally 
to the relief boards of Luzerne and Lackawanna Counties, and a schedule set 
up so that men would be furnished regularly from the welfare lists. 
Beginning January 16, 1933, and extending to June 30, the time was staggered 
so that each man who did satisfactory work would be employed for about 4 weeks. 
In all, nearly 1,000 men received work, an average of about 200 being employed 
throughout the period. They were engaged in cutting and burning worthless 
trees and brush in the badly infested areas. This work was closely supervised by 
Federal men detailed from the barrier-zone work, and gradually men from this 
welfare group were selected and trained to find and treat egg clusters, to climb 
trees, and to assist in spraying. 
Since January 1933 there have been treated or destroyed over 1,850,000 
gypsy-moth egg clusters, most of these being in the central infested area. An 
egg cluster contains an average of 400 eggs. Over 1,200 acres of wood and brush 
land were cut and the slash burned. 
Spraying with arsenate of lead was begun in June and was not completed until 
July 7, 1933. Most of the 26 high-power spraying machines operated were used 
for treating small lots in cities and towns, and special care was necessary in order 
to prevent defacement of buildings and fences, and automobiles or other vehicles 
that were moving where the spray was being applied. Over 4,800 of such proper- 
ties were treated in residential sections, and over 2,800 acres of woodland were 
also sprayed. In some of the latter areas conditions were such that the handling 
of hose lines was extremely difficult, and in one case 7,000 feet of hose had to be 
used in a single line in applying treatment. 
There are only a few small nurseries in the infested area, and they do a local 
business. It was found, however, that there was some movement of native 
plants such as rhododendrons and laurel, and that some forest products and surface 
stones were moved out of the territory. It seemed necessary to safeguard the 
movement of such material in order to protect adjoining sections as well as other 
States, and that the movement of freight cars, particularly those stored on sidings 
which were bordered by infested trees, should be given attention. Accordingly 
a State quarantine covering the townships of Bear Creek, Exeter, Hanover, Jack- 
son, Jenkins, Kingston, Plains, Plymouth, Pittston, Wilkes-Barre, and the 
