The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-05-26
A COSTLY EXPERIMENT.
STORY OF THE BATTLE OF AMERICA
AGAINST THE GYPSY MOTH.

Dollars Thus Far to Pay for the Blum
der Of q French Scientist-NationalG Gov
ernment Interests Being Protected.
So far, says Boston letter to the
New York Times, Massachusetts, has
expended over 81, 900, 900 in attempt
ing to check it's ravsges on the forests
and shade trees, and the danger is by
no means disposed Of. Ithas attracted
the attention of the National Govern
ment, for in the Agricultural Appro-
priation bill, which passed both
branches of Congress-, provision has
been made, which, it is expected, will
result in the Government Bureau of
Entomology paying special attention
and observation to the methods en-
ployed in eradicating the Gypsy moth.
The labor and money consumed in this
undertaking against the Gypsy moth
constitute one of the most puzzling
problems the entomologists of this
country have ever had to contend with.
In 1869 there lived in Medford L.
Trouvelot, q naturalist, who had come
to Massachusetts, from his native city,
Paris. he was just then deeply inter-
ested in silk culture experiments, and
had brought from Europe some eggs
of the celebrated Gypsy moth. One
spring morning M. Trouvelot, while at
work in his laboratory, situated in an
upper room of his house, was called
away for few moments. A lot Of the
moth eggs lay on tray not far from
an open window. A passing breeze
blew the eggs out Of doors.
When Trouvelot returned and found
what had happened, he was greatly
exercised, and had painstaking search
of the yard made, but it was fruitless.
Knowing we'll the dangerous character
of this Gypsy moth, for its ravages had
ruined thousands of acres of European
forest, the naturalist at once made q
public announcement of the escape.
No particular attention was paid to the
foreigners warnings, as his neighbors
knew next to nothing of "Gypsy
moths" and regarded the talk as prin-
cipally the exaggerated imaginings of
a nervous Frenchman.
Within twelve years from the time
of it's introduction the moth had be-
come serious nuisance to those living
near the Trouvelot house, but it was
supposed that the caterpillar was a ma
tive. Its lack of conspicuous markings,
which to the common eye would dis
tinguish it from other species, and
it's habits of concealment and night
feeding will explain it's unheeded dis
tribution. In twenty years it had
spread into thirty townships. Shade
trees were being stripped as if by fire,
woodland was being destroyed, while
brushland everywhere was covered by
myriads of the creeping, crawling
worms. The destruction was reaching
such stage that people in Eastern
Massachusetts got into almost state
of terror over it, and finally, in 1890,
Governor Bracket, in message to the
Legislature urging that steps be taken
in the matter, used these words:
"a new enemy is at present threat
ening the agriculture, not only OF our
own State, but of the whole country.
1t is the Gypsy moth, said to attack
almost every variety of tree, as we'll
as the farm and garden crops. The
pest is spreading with great rapidity,
and if it's eradication is to be attempted
immediate measures are of the utmost
Importance.
In March, 1890, a special law was
passed authorizing the organization
of a commission to prosecute the work
of destroying the moth, and $50, 600
was appropriated to that end. A skilled
entomologist and force of men, act
ing under the supervision of the State
Board of Agriculture, soon began
labor, but the territory infested was
found to be sixteen times larger than
at first supposed, and in June $25, 600
more was appropriated.
In the actual work of destruction, a
comical feature introduced was the ap-
pointment of a dozen special police
men, whose duty it was to guard the
highways of Medford and Maiden, to
see that no guilty moth escaped by at
taching himself to a passing vehicle.
As fact, this dignifed espionage was
valuable, for numerous carriages were
peremptorily halted which were COW
cred with the obnoxious caterpillars.
These policemen did yeoman service.
The Gypsy moth officers for 1891
had for Chairman the distinguished
Professor N. s. Shaler, of Harvard
University, and at an early conference
held in Boston G. V. Riley, entomolo-
gist of the United States Department
of Agriculture as present. Despite
all that was done the previous year it
appeared that the moth was spreading
80 that it threatened to soon overrun
the State. The General Assembly set
apart $4,000, and from that time to
the present it has had to contribute an
average of from $150,000 to $3.50, 900
annually.
The present commission is headed
by Professor G. H. Fernald, a most ex-
perienced entomologist, and corps of
experts and assistants who, from long
training, know about the best methods
of the work. From the almost num-
berless experiments and Investigations
that have been made in the last SIX
years something definite as regards
the most effectual insecticides-spray-
ing, and other systems of treating in