The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1894-04-04
THE GYPSY MOTH.
Some Singular Facts About a
Deadly Enomy to Trees
Through an Entomologises carelessness
the Pest Was introduced Into HASA
chnsetts Where II Now Creates
Great Havoc.

Not so very long agoa scientific wise
acre of Massachusetts,, who had never
had the pleasure of meeting with
gypsy moth, since the frivolous crca-
ture had not journeyed into the old
Bay state ct the time. according to the
New York Sun. sent word to friend
in the far-away land, the home of the
insect, saying: please send me
gypsy moth right away; want to look
ar him; want to study him" So the
friend, who was an obedient chap,
went into his garden, and with no
trouble caught gypsy moth, one of
large band of moths who were en-
camped there and had eaten about
everything in the neighborhood ex-
cept the house and toughest part of
the fence, and he put him in a ven
tilated box and mailed hinl to the en-
tomologist in Massachusetts,.
The gypsy moth arrived safely at his
destination, and the scientific sharp
went to work with his jaelSnife at his
cage to disentomb him He was so
lively that he easily stood on his head
and scraped his hind legs together in
the air, SO that the wise man might
know, perhaps, that he was glad TO
know him. lie was just as lively after
he had been carved out of his mummy
case. but the entomologist was light
fingered also, and he expertly caught
his visitor by his tailfeathers and then
went out on his veranda to scrutinize
him in a strong light through his mag
nifying glass But the gypsy moth
was smarter than the scientific man,
evidently very much smarter, and he
hadn't travelled over land and water
several thousand miles to be stuck on
a pin and to make an chronological
Roman holiday. He bided his time,
and when the learned man had Tipped
him over on his back, holding him stu
by the tail, but with slightly slack
ened grip, and was about to chuck his
microscope down upon him, presto. he
suddenly gathered himself into knot,
spasmodically yanked himself away
from the glass, slid down to the YER
anda floor and was off into the garden
in a iiffy. The scientific man gaped at
him incredulously for an instant and
then set OFF along the garden walk and
across the green sward, treading down
sweet peas and clover blossoms in a
perfectly futile endeavor to recapture
him. That gypsy moth got entirely
away and never came back, and keen
and sore was the disappointment of
the entomologist thereat.
Sore also has been the disappolnt-
ment of the old Bay state therefor
ever since the luclSless escape of the
gypsy moth took place a number of
years ago. But though he is gone he
is by no means forgotten. The gypsy
moth of the scientific man followed the
Biblical injunction: Multiply and re-
plenish the earth" and the point of
this history is in the fact that that lit
lie incident by which the entomologist
let 60 the tail-feathers of his gypsy
moth has cost the state of Massachu-
sets over two hundred thousand dol
lars in the last four years. Soon after
the gypsy moth got away the Bay state
had to appoint a state commission,
whose business IL was TO go and find
him, together with his progeny, and
the commission found him easily and
in large majority. Each year now they
keep on looking for and finding him in
q steadily augmenting horde No
trouble at all He is always on deck.
Last years work of the commission,
according to a Springfield paper, ''in-
cluded the examination of four million
trees and the destruction of forty-six
thousand one hundred egg clusters,
all belonging to the gypsy moth, and
over one million caterpillars. Now"
comments the same journal, ian ap
preparation of one hundred and sixty
thousand dollars with which TO find
and fight the gypsy moth is asked, and
it is choice between constant fight to
the determination and the loss on the
other hand of something like one mil
lion dollars yearly by the ravages Of
the - -