Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-07-16
The Brown Tail Moth Is
Threatening Maine.
Commissioner Gilman Will Meet
It on the Border.
He Will Cooperate With Massachu
sets and New Hampshire Authori-
ties-Pest Appeared at kittery Earl
Ter in Season and Was vanquished.


in the agricultural department at the
State House, yesterday morning, caus-
ed by the alarming reports received
from the officials of New Hampshire
and Massachusetts in regard to the
threatened Invasion of this State by the
dreaded brown tail moth. The news
paper reports have considered chiefly
the pest as it has appeared in and
around Boston, but the serious aspect
of the question, so far as it concerns
the State of Maine, is found i'm the
situation at Portsmouth, N. II. The
moth has made its appearance there
in numbers that are exceeding all
previous records, and the members of
the agricultural commission of that
state are working night and day to
avert the danger.
1t is but step from Portsmouth
to kittery, and the soil of Maine. A
passing train at any hour may bring
the pests into the State and when
this occurs the battle will begin.
Commissioner Gilman, when seen by
the Journal representative, yesterday
was debating important letters to va
GlbuS tNIjcllS anu WdS DIT TIE SttIIlG Tune
mastering the contents of communica-
ions from commissioners in other
states, and mass of newspaper clip
pings from the Massachusetts and New
hampshire papers. Particular interest
was attached to a clipping from a
Portsmouth paper, which described in
accurate detail the methods of this
particular brood of brown tails, and
from this article the commissioner is
of the opinion that the plague, this
season, will be a serious one.
Last spring." said Commissioner Gil
man, I'VE went to Kittery in April, and
found that the brown tail moth had be-
come established over an area half a
mile square. The ground was gone
over with extreme care. and SO far as
We could ascertain every individual
moth was destroyed. OF this, of
course, there can be no such thing as
absolute certainty, but extreme care
was used by men thoroughly skilled in
the work. and l have reason to believe
that they We're successful.
Now, 1 find, today, that in Ports
mouth the people are very much
alarmed lest they make further raw
ages to an extent hitherto unknown.
and we fear that they will re-enter this
State. We did all that could be done.
last spring, and now that danger again
threatens every effort will be made to
keep back the brown tail moth. We
shall use every possible precaution to
prevent this pest from crossing to this
side of the line"
Tho copom;cc;ona &c IN cnpculto ion
with the board having in charge the
work of exterminating the brown tail
moth in Massachusetts. and the most
successful experts i'm the work will be
engaged and on the field at the first in
timation that there is an actual inva-
sion.
Much has been written on the brown
tail moth, but the following outline Of
it's life history may not be amiss at this
time:
During the period when there are no
leaves upon the trees. the winter nests
of this insect are easily recognized.
They are composed Of compact masses
of leaves fastened together by firm
silken web, and inside these leaves
there will be found two hundred Or
more small, brownish caterpillars.
These leafy nests are especially likely
to be fastened to the ends of branches,
and are very conspicuous. When
spring comes the little caterpillars leave
the nests at the times when they wish
to feed. crawling down the twig to
reach the nearest foliage.
They return to their nests at night
and when not feeding, so that in the
spring Of the year when the leaves are
coming out. If one wishes to pick off
the nests. one should be careful to do
it at a time when the little caterpillars
are ri esent. But there is no excuse for
waiting until spring to remove the
nests.
These caterpillars continue to feed
and grow until about the middle of
June. Each then spins around itself
silken cocoon, the cocoon being at
tached to some convenient shelter.
commonly the leaves of the food tree.
Inside Of these cocoons the caterpillars
change to chrysalids. and three or four
wacLc 10 AGAIN change tn the