The Springfield herald., 1900-04-13
THE GYPSY MOTH.
MASSACHUSETTS FINDS 1T A
FORMIDABLE FOE.
Tho Filthy and Destructive Pest Was
Imported from tho Old World-1fs
Spread, Ravagos and the Efforts to
ExterminAte It.

insect world. Mankind In all parts OF
the world has been and is annoyed.
pestered and subjected to severe losses
by these little creatures. Natives and
settlers in Africa would rather cope
with herd of trumpeting elephants
than an army of ants, and the inhabi-
tants OF the South American lianos feel
less terror when the earth trembles
with the approach OF troop OF wllo
horses or drove of wild ca..le than
when they perceive the sinuous lines
OF 4 migratory ant army. To the
farmer, the thieving crow and the raw
aging hawk are angels as compared
with the potato bug. the locust or the
grasshopper. Some philosophers and
many scientists assert that all living
perform whether their early life be
long or transient. This may be so. but
the odds are great that these learned
people never encountered an ant army
never had a promising field of grain
devastated by grasshoppers or 1ocusts,
or never picked potato bugs when the
thermometer registered 80 degrees in
the shade. 1t would not be well for
anyone to even hint to the people of
eastern Massachusetts that all insects
were created for some good and wor-
thy purpose. They would draw the line
on one Of the nastiest and most de-
structive pests that has ever infested
the New World.
According to Fletcher Osgood, in
the New England Magazine, the gyp-
sy moth Is tough, hardy creature,
and feeds of nearly every form Of
useful vegetation. Like nearly all in
sects 1t multiplies rapidly. 1t is a ma
tive of the Old World, and was intro
duced into this country with the best
of intentions. In 1868 French scien-
tist conceived the idea of breeding the
moth of the silk worm and producin,,
a moth that would flourish in the eli
mate of the United States and furnish
a web like that of the silk worm. He
tried his experiment in the Glenwood
region of Medford. Mass, in 1870. 1t
was dismal failure so far as produc-
ing silk worm was concerned, but
has proved bowling success in fur
nishing the people of eastern Massa-
chusetts with pest which has caused
indescribable annoyance, losses that
amount to thousands of dollars, and
the expenditure of large sums of
money and years OF toll in endeavors
to wipe 1t out.
When the experiment proved fail
ure many of the gypsy moths in the
caterpillar stage of their existence es-
capped from their netted confines and
spread themselves over the wooded
neighborhood surrounding Medford.
In 1881 the moths had increased so
rapidly as to be considered a nuisance,
but not until 1899 did they appear in
such numbers as to arouse the people
to full sense of the danger that
threatened them In that year the
shrubbery and flowers of Medford
were ruined; corn, small fruits and
vegetables destroyed; the foliage
stripped from fruit. forest and shade
trees, and homes were made filthy by
the intrusion of the little pests.
Houses, fences and walls were cover
ed with armies of little caterpillars and
the stencil arising from the crowding
mass was most disagreeable. The
crawling disgusting creatures entered
the houses, swarmed on house plants,
crept into closets and even into the
beds and upon the persons of the
sleeping inmates. The people tried to
check the pest with fire, hot water and
coal oil, but their efforts were unavail-
ing, and the nuisance became worse
year by year. The insects began to
spread out over additional territory,
and when the people saw that they
could not check them they appealed
to the state for aid.
In 1890 paid state commission took
charge OF fighting the nuisance, but in
1891 the commission was abolished
and the work was put in charge of
the Massachusetts State Board of Ag-
riculture. The board began working
on the outskirts of the infested district
and worked toward the center Dur
ing the past two years the best work
has been done, and the men in charge
of the contest believe that they will
finally be successful in entirely wiping
out the pest. If they do succeed 1t will
be the first time in the history of the
world that an insect pest has been
completely eradicated from a country.
In 1898 and 1899 the state appropri-
ated 100000 to defray the work of
fighting the pest, and it is probable
that the recommendation of Prof.
Charles II. Fernald, zoologist at Am
herst and entomologist to the State
Board of Agriculture, will be follow
ed and the same amount will be grant
ed for each of the succeeding three
years. The professor believes that
then, at the close of 1902, the battle
will be so far won that the appropria-
ton can be reduced to 100000 each
year, for three years. and afterward TO
$4,000 year for five years. when the