Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-12-14
FIGHTING AN lNSE CT
The Imported Gypsy Moth and the War
Waged Against 1t.
The Methods Adopted to Rid n Large
Area of Country From the Pres
cncc of This Pest.

trees and the progeny of single pair of
them settled in Washington, II not inter
fered with, would in the course OF a few
years strip our parks and streets of every
green leaf Disgusting Caterpillars as big
as ones little finger would be spinning
down from the branches upon the heads OF
pedestrians, and the decay of dead myrads
of the creatures would be literally stencil
in the nostrils of the people. Great armies
of them would be seen marching along the
avenues and the worms would have TO be
swept up and carried off in carts. AT
another season the air would be filed with
hutterng moths Matched from the bodies OF
the Caterpillars.
That the national capital is not already
threatened with such a plague Is cause
for thanks. which are due TO the enliSht-
ened efforts Of the state of Massachusetts,.
That commonwealth has been contending
with the gypsy moth for some years past
and has finally succeeded in getting tt1e
better of il after war unpreC edented In
the annals of bug fighting. The insects,
which were spreading rapidly over the
state and promising TO extend their raNaSes
to all parts of the Union, have been re-
duced to a comparatively few, and the CUR
ViVOrs are now restricted to a small eN-
tent of territory. They cannot be wholly
exterminated in certain areas of dense
woodland, but they are held in check inns
result has only been accomplished by the
expenditure OF enormous sums Oh money
The Gray Moths Advent.
Great troubles arise from small causes.
The plague OF the gypsy moth is wholly at
tributable to a Frenchman named TroiVe-
lot, who lived twenty years ago In the
town of Maiden, Mass. He was engaged
at that time In experimenting with native
carterpillars of various species. in the nope
that one or more of them might be found TO
spin silk and serve substitute for the
silkwOrm. With this end in view re
reared many kinds OF moths ~atcnnS
them as they transformed and went
through the successive stages of their be
ing AT length having exhausted the avail
able supply of American caterplllars' he
sent abroad for European species
These ne imported in the shape OF CO.
coons. Among them arrived baton 81
gipsy-moth cCcOons, and from these NJ;
TrouveIot succeeded in obtaining fine and
healthy moths. They laid their eggs ana
died 1t was spring by this time. and the
Frenchman put the gipsy-Inoth eggs IN a
window, where the warm rays OF the sun
could strike them.
The housekeeper who had no notion OF
chronological science, came along ana rals-
ed the sash of the window. In Ventured
gentle zephyr and went out again. blowing
the eggs into the garden. The zephyr
aforesaid left no record of its performance
and NJ. TrCUvelot mourned the loss OF MS
eggs without knowing what had become or
them. He did not find out until two or
three years later, when certain queer-look-
ing dark-gray Caterpillars with blue spots
on their backs began to appear numerous
ly in the vicinity. They were discovered
feeding on the trees and all sorts of plants,
being not particular as to their food so
long as it is something green. In 1886 they
had become thick In Maiden and Its
neighborhood that many trees were killed,
and the raising of vegetables was almost
out of the question.
Developed Into a Plague.
Meanwhile. the insects had been spread
far and wide by market wagons and by
other means. Pedestrian carried them for
long distances their persons, and
single pair was always sufficient to start
a promising colony in new locality. Much
alarm began to be felt. The caterpillars
were so thick on the trees that the noise
of their nibbling could be heard at night,
sounding like the pattering of fine rain
drops. Trunks and branches were thickly
covered with the cocOons, which hung in
punches big a pint measure. The
stencil from the dead worms was very bad.
People found themselves helpless against
the plague. 1t was no unusual thing for a
person to gather a coal-hod full of caterpil-
lars from fence in morning. Vast armies
OF the worms were constantly seen on the
march.
BY 1850 the gypsy moth occupied an area
OF 100 square miles in Massachusetts. 1t
had becOme apparent that, If left to breed
without interference, it would before long
destroy all of the shade trees and orchards
In the state, not to mention other plants Of
economic value. An appeal was made to
the legislature for help, and in 1891 a COM
mission, with $4,000 to spend, began the
work OF lighting the caterpillars. The first
thing necessary was to determine the
boundaries OF the region occupied by them.
Then gangs of men began at the outer
limits of the area and worked toward the
center, destroying the insects as they pro-
ceeded. 1t was soon discovered that spray
ing with inseCtcide solutions was not OF
much use, and other methods were adopt
ed. In the winter the masses Of eggs were
picked with the hand and DESTROYED. In
summer the caterpillars were cut in two
with knives. The cOcOons spun by the
cateTpillarS were crushed. The worms
feed by night. and in the daytime they de-
scend TO the trunks of the trees and try
to find hiding places. So II was found a
most effective scheme to bind bags of bur-
lap around the trees in which the caterpil-
lars might be trapped.
Work of determination.
In 1892 another appropriation of $4,000
was made to continue the work. and in
1888 100000 more was given. The labor
attempted was gigantic. A territory OF
go square miles had to be carefully ex-
amined each year. In this region were f.
coo acres of woodland, containing more
than 100000 trees, besides underground.
The aivisability of burning these woods
was seriously discussed. Elsewhere in the
Infested tract men visited every tree every
other day picking off and destroying
worms. cocoons and egg masses. The
thick underbrush was sprayed with Paris
green. CocOOns were collected and placed
in barrels covered over with gauZe. The
object Of this was to prevent the escape
OF the gypsy moths, while the parasites
that prey upon them were permitted to get
away. II IS impossible TO say how much
good was done by this means.
The present condition of AFFAIRS is that
the infested territory has been reduced to
fifty square miles. and within that area the
insects have become comparatively rare
Whereas a man engaged in the work of
collecting used TO secure thousands in a
morning. he now gets only a few scores.
In the virgin forests OF Middlesex Fells
the moth still breeds undisturbed, and will
continue to do so. II can only be got rid
OF by destroying the woods. Meanwhile
Massachusetts must appropriate $4,000 to
EOOCO per annum right along, in order to
prevent the pest from developing again
into a plague. as II Is ready at any time to
do. II the moth should extend its range
into the southern states, II would be far
more destructive there than in Massachu-
setts. the number of brOOds produced an
fr,N LONG NJ