12 
NORTH SHORE BREEZE. 
MOTH SUPPRESSION ON THE NORTH SHORE 
Col. Sohier give Some Interesting Figures on the Situation at 
Manchester and Beverly. 
Confer With Beverly Officials. 
A conference on the question of con- 
tinuing the fight against the moth pest 
the coming spring and summer, between 
members of the Beverly city government 
and Col. Wm. D. Sohier and other 
members of the summer colony was 
held last week at Young’s hotel in Bos- 
ton. The plan proposed, so far as 
Beverly is concerned, was that the city 
should appropriate $7,500 this year and 
the state would appropriate $7,500 more 
and Col. Sohier would raise $7,500 
from the summer residents, making $22,- 
000 in all. Last year Beverly raised 
$5000 for this work. 
Our shore land is a valuable asset, 
said Col. Sohier, and if the woods should 
be denuded of the white pine they would 
lose a great deal of their natural beauty. 
The time to do this work is now. The 
pine groves can be protected, for where 
there is no deciduous growth, it has been 
demonstrated that the young ‘caterpillar 
cannot live on the pine alone. 
State Superintendent L. H. Worth- 
ley was introduced by Col. Sohier and in 
a most comprehensive manner told of 
the work which had been done the past 
year. Over 1100 acres were treated 
and excellent work had been done. 
The work was done all along the North 
Shore, in Gloucester, Essex, Manches- 
ter, Wenham and Beverly. Inall about 
$50,000 had been spent and he agreed 
with Mr. Sohier, and would say that if 
that amount had not been spent last 
year it would have taken at least $250,- 
000 this year to have accomplished the 
same results. The North Shore con- 
stitutes the largest contiguous area in the 
state and the most valuable as well. 
He spoke of the parasites.’ “hese in- 
sects had been liberated in large and 
small colonies the past two years and he 
expected excellent results as already num- 
bers of them had been located. 
Some 200,000 have been liberated. 
Small plantings of these colonies have 
been made in several localities on the 
North Shore. He said that Jast year the 
work was somewhat handicapped on ac- 
count of the drougth, it being difficult to 
get water to the sprayers in some locali- 
ties in the woods, but in anormal season 
that would be counteracted. 
Members of the Beverly summer col- 
ony endorsed the good workbeing done 
and expressed their willingness to sub- 
scribe to the fund for carrying on the 
work. Among them were John T. 
Morse, Thomas H. Silsbee, Arthur Sils- 
bee and Col. Cranmore N. Wallace. 
The Conditions in Manchester. 
‘“ The same proposition will be made 
to the Selectmen of Manchester and to 
the town of Manchester,’’ said Col. 
Sohier to the BREEZE man a few days 
ago. ‘A number of the summer resi- 
dents are already much interested in this 
work, and many of them are now spend- 
ing large sums of money in attempting 
to protect their own woods from de- 
struction by gypsy moths. 
“Tn order to make their work of any 
avail, it is necessary for the authorities to 
co-operate and that the various gypsy 
moth colonies which now threaten de- 
struction to all of the woods in Man- 
chester should be thoroughly treated. It 
is of no avail for one owner to clear his 
land if the caterpillars are allowed to de- 
velop upon the land of his neighbor and 
to migrate across as soon as they have 
defoliated the trees upon which they 
hatched out.’’ 
Mr. Worthley explained the condi- 
tions on the North Shore, and the cut 
which is printed herewith is made up 
from a plan made in his office after thor- 
ough scouting in the woods. A glance 
at the map will show that there are col- 
onies spread all along the Manchester 
woods and down to the Gloucester line, 
situated but a short distance back from 
the shore, and that if these colonies are 
not thoroughly cleaned out and cared for 
this year, a very large area of woodland 
will be destroyed, and next year it will be 
impossible with any reasonable amount 
of money, to preserve either the forests 
which add so much to the value of Man- 
chester, or the woods that are immedi- 
ately upon the shore frontage. 
‘© The caterpillars are spread from the 
Beverly to the Gloucester line,’’ said 
Mr. Worthley, ‘‘starting with the 
Hanks colony, so-called, where there are 
about 30 acres that need to be treated. 
There is a small colony of about 30 acres 
a little west of Rrookwood road. ‘The 
piggery colony situated between Brook- 
wood road and Crooked lane, contains 
nearly 300 acres, and it may be neces- 
sary, if there is not enough money avail- 
able to treat this section, to try and iso- 
late this colony by clearing a_ protective 
belt around it, tangle-footing and spray- 
ing the trees for 100 to 200 feet in width, 
thus starving the caterpillars out. This 
colony alone would require $15,000, if 
any thorough work was to be done. 
+ I colony Noi SPeanear the jee 
house where 66 acres have been treated, 
there are 10 acres more that must be 
treated. Inthe Bennett hill colony 14 
acres have been treated, and 15 more re- 
quire treatment In the Pine street col- 
ony, where 125 acres were cleaned up 
last year, nothing more is necessary than 
thorough spraying early in the season. é 
‘“ There are about 20 acres on Crook- 
ed lane containing two small colonies 
which can be cleaned up. 
Manchester-Essex road there is a colony — 
of about 25 acres that must be treated in 
order to preserve the rest of the woods; 
on School street there are two colonies 
of 35 acres that must be treated, and 12 
acres very near the Golf club; there is a 
colony of 4 acres off Beach street and 
another of 5 acres at the so-called 
‘Tappan colony; there is a small colony 
on Stevens hil] where 8 acres require 
treatment; opposite the Boyle stable on — 
Summer street, colony 26, there are 20 
acres which have been treated and sev- 
eral more remain to be done. 
In the Manchester Cove colony 106 
acres have been treated, and 50 more re- _ 
There are also several — 
quire treatment. 
On the old — 
