NORTH SHORE BREEZE 
13 
GYPSY MOTHS THREATEN DESTRUCTION OF NORTH SHORE WOODS 
Immediate Restrictive Measures are Necessary, says Col. Sohier. Infestation already covers 
Serious apprehension is felt for the 
beautiful North Shore woods. Scouting 
operations which have been in progress, 
under State supervision since last fall, 
have revealed the alarming situation that 
about one-fifth of the five to six thousand 
acres of woodland in Manchester, Bever- 
ly; Hamilton, Wenham, and_ South 
Essex, are infested with gypsy moths and 
at least 125 acres are so badly infested as 
to call-for immediate measures for relief, 
lest the woods be assailed by the pest be- 
yond redemption. 
Col. Wm. D. Sohier, at whose re- 
quest the woods were scouted by Supt. 
Kirkland’s force of experts, has been ap- 
praised of the actual situation as far as it 
is disclosed up to date, and with the facts 
before him he sounds the note of warn- 
ing. 
Col. Sohier has already started to raise 
a fund of $30,000 or over, and itis pur- 
posed to have this amount expended 
under the direction of the state superin- 
tendent. Summer residents—property 
holders—are taking an active interest in 
the work, and are subscribing liberally to 
the fund. Col. Sohier expects the sev- 
eral towns to subscribe to the fund also. 
Beverly has already guaranteed $5000. 
It is likely that Manchester will be called 
upon to take action either at the ad- 
journed town meeting in April, or at a 
special meeting. 
These are the conditions as stated by 
Col. Sohier: 
““For several years the sides of the 
roads on fourteen miles of private wood 
roads, built by subscription, have been 
cleared of gypsy moths for 100 feet in 
width, by me. Haying found a number 
of badly infested but scattered areas of 
gypsy moths, I applied to Mr. Kirkland, 
State superintendent, last fall, and asked 
him if he would not take hold of the 
woods on the North Shore—in Beverly, 
Manchester, Wenham, Essex, Hamilton 
and Gloucester— and ascertain the situa- 
tion andreport what needed to be done. 
The State since last fall has had three 
squads of seven men each scouting these 
woodlands, treating the scattering nests 
and wherever there was not a thickly in- 
fected area. They have been going 
around and mapping out all of the badly 
infested places. 
*“In this way they have gone through 
the woods in Beverly Common and 
Montserrat woods, Beverly Farms at 
Chebacco, and between Essex and Man- 
chester, but they have not been able to 
go into the Gloucester woods as yet. 
*““ The large area, badly infested, was 
One Thousand Acres. 
125 acres at Montserrat. There were 
also 120 acres on Beverly Common and 
another in the woods back of Beverly 
Farms. ‘“[Thenthere were some 20 spots 
varying from one-half to twelve acres 
which were dotted here and there in the 
woods: one near Brookwood road, one 
near the old Manchester road, one on 
Chebacco Pond and one on Becks Pond. 
‘* Superintendent Kirkland, after this 
thorough scouting, has written to me and 
told me, and told the Beverly city govern- 
ment that the only thing at a reasonable 
price that will save the North Shore 
woods from destruction is to have some 
comprehensive and systematic treatment 
of all the wooded area under one plan 
and one head; that it cannot be left to 
the separate municipalities as the work 
would stop on town and city lines, and 
that, if anything is to be done to save the 
woods, it must be done _ systematically 
and thoroughly and must include the 
whole area. He saysa large force should 
be employed and the work started at 
once. The infested area should be 
treated by painting the nests, clearing out 
the underbush, cleaning the trees and 
getting ready to spray in the summer; 
the trees should then be covered with 
burlap and treated with taneglefoot. 
‘He estimates the cost at between 
$30,000 and $40,000, for the scattering 
area that is badly infested is about one 
thousand acres of the five thousand to six 
thousand acres that were scouted. If 
this work is done now, he thinks, there 
is no doubt the gypsy moth can be con- 
trolled to such an extent that the problem 
next year will be easier than this year 
and the woods will be preserved until the 
parasites are multiplied sufficiently to con- 
trol the gypsies. 
“Tf this is not done at once, the situa- 
tion next year will be so serious and the 
sum of money required so large that it 
will be practically impossible to save the 
beautiful woods on the North Shore. It 
is impossible to estimate the damage this 
disaster would cause to our North Shore. 
A single stripping of the pine absolutely 
kills that tree, which is the most beauti- 
ful feature of the landscape. Where 
$30,000 to $40,000 will control the sit- 
uation today $150,000 to $200,000 would 
be required next year, as has been so 
vividly shown in Medford, Arlington and 
in Metropolitian districts where so many 
beautiful woods have been absolutely 
destroyed. 
‘“We have some serious examples of 
this fact. The colony back of Montser- 
rat was noticed two years ago and at that 
time seemed to be only about one acre 
in extent. It was slightly treated. Last 
year there were some fifteen acres be- 
longing to Henry W. Peabody which 
were treated and it was supposed that 
this covered the colony. “The area was 
not thoroughly scouted, however. In 
consequence, another small colony in the 
woods near Beaver Pond was overlooked 
for two years, running. ‘This small col- 
ony has there increased and now com- 
prises 125 acres in one tract very badly 
infested, with several other small areas 
scattercd about where the trees are en- 
tirely stripped. 
““Thus a neglected colony of two 
years ago, of one to two acres, , has 
brought about a badly infested district of 
125 acres. There are many large sec- 
tions of the woods, probably one-half of 
the total area, which as yet are substant- 
ially free from gypsy moths; three- 
fourths of the balance have only a few 
nests scattered about and these have al- 
ready been thoroughly treated. If the 
balance, 1000 acres, the badly infested 
district, is thoroughly cleaned and the 
moths controlled this year the woods will 
be preserved; otherwise they will be de- 
stroyed. 
“Dr. L. O. Howard, chief entomo- 
logist for the United States, was in Bos- 
ton recently. Speaking at the Rural 
Club, he said that the parasite experi- 
ment is most enouraging. Over forty 
varieties are known abroad, and eighteen 
of these have been established here and 
have wintered successfully and are doing 
good work. A very large number of 
them must be propagated before they can 
successfully control the gypsy or brown- 
tail moths in this country as they are now 
doing in the various European countries. 
This requires time, and fourto seven 
years may be necessary for the parasites 
to really establish the necessary control. 
Dr. Howard and Mr. Kirkland are both 
satished thatthe parasites will within a 
reasonable number of years control the 
situation. 
“*Upon the North Shore it would be 
necessary not only to get appropriations 
from the rich municipalities, like Bever- 
ly, but to raise a considerable amount of 
money to treat the colonies in the woods 
of the poorer towns. You realize that 
the cost of this work is more than the 
assessed value of the land. In Man- 
chester, for instance, where the land is 
assessed at $25 per acre, the cost. of 
clearing it of gypsy moths is at least $30 
per acre. ‘This is the most economical 
time in which to take decisive action.’’ 
