1910. 
THE RURAL N E W-YOR KER 
321 
FACTS ABOUT THE BR0WNTA1L MOTH. 
As in a few years the control of this 
pest will become a live question in all the 
New England and Middle States, some 
facts about them as we see them here 
may be of interest. Situated some 40 
miles or so from the starting points of 
the Gypsy and Brown-tail moths, the 
Brown-tails come in a winner, but by a 
small margin; although we were told it 
would be like a turtle and hare race, we 
now have them both with us. To those 
who never saw a Brown-tail moth I 
would say do not lose your good sense 
and shout for large State appropriations 
with the idea of exterminating, or keep¬ 
ing them out of your State, for money if 
spent in any reasonable amount cannot 
keep them out or exterminate all that 
may come. And above all do not make 
it for anyone’s interest to breed them. 
But when they do come pass sensible and 
reasonable laws for their control , for that 
is as far as any State under present con¬ 
ditions should go, for no one has a right 
to allow his property to become a public 
nuisance to the injury of others, yet 
reason and common sense should be used 
in enforcing such laws, and I see no 
reason why any State should spend mon¬ 
ey for destroying them, except on State 
roadsides or land that is controlled by 
them, and in the enforcing of laws for 
their control. But the cities and towns 
should be required to look after their 
own and inhabitants’ interests. 
Here in Massachusetts the city or 
town authorities send notices to all land 
owners on or before November 1, to de¬ 
stroy all eggs, pupae, caterpillars and 
nests of the Brown-tail and Gypsy moths 
on or before December 1. If the land 
owner fails to do this, then the city or 
tow r n is required to destroy the same, 
and charge up the cost to the owner, 
not to exceed one-half of one per cent of 
the assessed value of the land, the re¬ 
mainder being paid by the city or town, 
and the State. Here in our country towns 
the bug hunters do not clean the w r oods 
and pasture lands of the nests, and the 
Brown-tails breed unmolested on nearly 
all such land, so the bug hunters’ job 
seems secure as long as man is their 
chief enemy. One illustration will do. 
Last Spring when my improved land was 
inspected I informed the inspector there 
were four or five nests in two medium¬ 
sized White oaks, not on improved land 
(the worst infested variety of tree I am 
acquainted with), which I should not 
climb for, neither did they (he had half 
a dozen with him). To-day there are 
more than 100 nests on these two trees. 
I shall have them cut as too costly for 
pasture shade. One tree was within 100 
feet of a highway, the other 50 feet far¬ 
ther, yet the inspector acted within his 
rights. Our Massachusetts law was 
passed to lit conditions in a thickly set¬ 
tled section of the State, and may lit con¬ 
ditions there, but in our country towns 
December 1 is much too early to compel 
the farmers to have their land free from 
nests, for the Brown-tail nest in many 
cases is only a single leaf pulled and 
fastened together by the young cater¬ 
pillars as a home to live in a dormant 
condition through the Winter months. 
Others contain more leaves, are larger 
and more easily seen, yet no one can do 
profitable or clean work until the leaves 
have all fallen. The farmers of other 
States should keep this in mind when 
laws are passed that may affect them. 
We have little complaint of high charges 
for doing the work, or from owners who 
would have preferred to do the work 
themselves here, yet in some places there 
is complaint, and 1 do know that the law 
can be enforced so as to cause much hard 
feeling. The habits of the Brown-tail 
are such that in limited numbers they 
do no serious harm to the trees, although 
eating the foliage very early in Spring. 
A nest of them will not compare in dam¬ 
age to the tent-caterpiller we have al¬ 
ways had with us. Then after the eggs 
are laid and hatched late in the Summer 
the young caterpillars again show their 
presence in the Fall, eating the leaves 
near where they were hatched. As they 
form their Winter nest when very small 
unless very abundant they do no serious 
harm to the trees. Where very plentiful 
spraying with a poison is a practical 
method just before they form their nests. 
As they become very numerous they 
both destroys the looks and health of the 
trees they infest, yet to my mind the 
strongest ground for State control is to 
protect the public health, as the hairs 
shed by the caterpillars at the moulting 
period cause a rash and sickness quite 
serious to some people, ‘so one may often 
hear the expression “Brown-tail itch,” 
in infested districts. Here where they 
are not as plentiful as in the towns far¬ 
ther east there have'been very few bad 
cases so far. The State of Ma saclnt- 
setts and her cities, towns and individ¬ 
uals have spent hundreds of thousands 
of dollars in destroying the nests in a 
hopeless fight to keep the insects under 
control, not trying to exterminate or 
keep them from spreading, but to prevent 
their becoming too much of a public 
nuisance. Yet as the flood of Brown- 
tails sweep north and westward there 
is only one power that can control them, 
and seriously check their numbers; viz.: 
parasites and other natural enemies. 
Here some birds work on their nests in 
the Winter months, but in a very limited 
way. 1 believe the introduction of para¬ 
sites, and the breeding of those found 
efficient, is the only sensible and practica¬ 
ble way for their control, but this side of 
the question has not been met as it 
should have been. I also believe that the 
National Government is not justified in 
spending money in this or any other 
State except for that purpose; that all 
the infested States should do all possible 
in that line of work even if they had to 
suspend for a year or two the raising of 
young fish or other game for our sport¬ 
ing classes, or even lay off a few moth- 
hunters for a year or two. In Europe 
parasites keep these moths so well in 
subjection they do little or no harm, for 
the parasite attends strictly to business 
and is not looking for a soft job. 
A little from my own experience here 
may show the others what to expject in 
the near future, fn 1904 we had prac¬ 
tically our first Brown-tails, possibly a 
few the previous year. In the Winter or 
Spring of 1900 the town began to tight 
them. Fall of 1905 brood, at public ex¬ 
pense. and paid two cents each, mostly 
to boys, for 1,879 nests, and the agent in 
charge reported the whole number de¬ 
stroyed in the town as 2.000, and a total 
expense of $112.21. Not less than $400 
has been appropriated and spent any year 
since by the town for Brown-tails and 
Gypsies. Now, four years later, 1909 
crop of nest more than 2,000 can be 
found on the improved land of many sin¬ 
gle farms alone. Yet we are not badly 
infested as compared with many other 
towns in the State. They thrive on the 
oaks, especially the White oak, wild 
cherry, elm. maples and practically all 
forest trees, except evergreens and those 
of the fir tree class of foliage. Yet some 
species appear practically immune where 
the moths are not very plentiful and 
have a large choice in choosing their 
breeding grounds (or trees). Of the 
fruit trees, pear appears first choice, with 
some varieties of apple a close second 
choice. In a young orchard, Williams 
was worst infested, McIntosh lea.-t so. 
In a young Baldwin orchard beside a 
young forest growth the apple trees were 
much more badly infested, but the forest 
growth was mostly birch, maple, and 
chestnut. The work of some town in¬ 
spectors is getting to be quite a farce. 
It is anything but funny for a man who 
has cleaned up his trees on his improved 
land, to have his land inspected, and if a 
few scattering nests are found have the 
costs charged up to him while just over 
the fence on his pasture they may be 
counted by the hundred, or live in a 
town, where they use spur climbers, and 
see a shade tree on the roadside cut up 
and mutilated by one who climbs for a 
nest or two. and just over the line in a 
pasture or forest land, a'tree with many 
more left on it undisturbed. Under pres¬ 
ent conditions I would prefer to have a 
nest or two left on a shade tree than 
have a man climb up and run round in 
it with spur climbers on. Yes, the Brown- 
tails are a pest and a nuisance, yet it 
looks as though we should all live 
through it and come up smiling in the 
end. As we have had both the Brown- 
tails and the deer with us for the past 
few years, I must say that I would much 
prefer to take my chances for the com¬ 
ing year with the Brown-tails than with 
the dear deer, for the deer have damaged 
me much the most, and hurt my feelings 
a hundred times more, and yet they call 
this a civilized community, where if a 
15-mile circle was lifted over my farm 
as the center, it would include much 
more than 50,000 people. h. o. mead. 
J. B. SEflBER 
Gen. Mgr. 
have been 
always in 
that make 
built for 30 years with the needs of the farmer and the stockman 
mind, and they have special features for their particular work 
them the simplest, most reliable and practical for farm work. 
Any One of these features would make the Olds engine worthy of 
your serious consideration, but the combination of them all, to¬ 
gether with the highest grade of workmanship, simplicity of design, 
perfect alignment and fitting, certainty of operation and low cost 
of keeping in order 
Certificate of Guarantee 
Removable Water Jacket. It 
_ over a 
year. Should the water freeze, through forgetfulness, a new 
casting can be quickly put on at slight expense. It is a 
separate piece and is not a part of the expensive cylinder. 
he Seager Mixer < patented ). A perfect 
mixture of gasoline and air increases the power 
and economizes the fuel. The mixer is de¬ 
signed without a moving part; nothing to get 
out of adjustment; can be started easily in zero 
weather because the gasoline is vaporized 
mechanically instead of by heat. 
Makes the Olds Engines Many Times 
You will find our 
catalogue worth 
reading 
More Valuable to You Than 
Any Engine Built! 
It is as simple as A B C. 
The Olds engine has replaced many cheap ones, but a 
cheap one has never replaced an Olds. 
You will always be glad you sent for our catalogue. 
Your judgment will bear fruit for years to come, because 
you will save money in the end and have a good reliable 
engine all the time. 
Tell me exactly what work you want an engine to do. 
I will give you reliable information and honest advice. 
Let 
It tells plain facts about gaso¬ 
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engine more practical for farm 
use than another, etc., etc. 
You can then judge for yourself in an 
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No Gasoline Pump to Get Out of Order 
The piston sucks the gasoline into the mixer 
automatically. There is no stuffing box to leak. 
Water Cannot Leak Into the Cylinder, 
m e 
caution you against one thing; 
don't judge an engine by its paint. 
Our Safety Governor 
J. B. SEAGER 
General Manager 
Sealer Engine Works 
Lansing, Michigan 
is so designed that if anything breaks the 
engine will stop immediately, instead of running beyond.control. 
You Have No Repair Bills for the first year if you buy an Olds. 
We give you a certificate of guarantee, by which we agree to re¬ 
place free of charge any part of an Olds engine proper that breaks 
or becomes worn, from any cause whatsoever, within one year from 
date of shipment, provided the replacement is one you think should 
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There is to be no argument, no delay in returning old parts and 
getting new ones. You decide and we abide by your decision. 
R. W. Hart, Mgr., 
65 Beverly St., Boston, Mass. ® 
Mallalieu & Conrey, 
1816 Market St., Philadelphia, Pa. 
R. H. Deyo & Company, 
26 Washington St., Binghamton, N. T. 
Write to the Nearest Office. 
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