Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-07-19
Prof. Hitchings Gives Result Of
His Recent Investigation.
Caterpillar Of Mourning Cloak Butterfly Mis-
taken for That Of eypssy.
STATE HOUSE CALENDAR
Next Meeting Of Governor and Council,
Friday, July 20 at 10 A. M.

From the best of information which
can be obtained before the coming fall,
1t Is the opinion Of Prof. F. E.
Hitchings. the State entomologist con-
| nected with the department Of agricul-
ture. that there are at present no
gypsey moths in Maine his opinion be-
ing based on most careful investi-
cation which he has personally con-
Quoted in the districts where the
moths would be likely to find their way
into the State. and also in other
sections where their suspected pres
| ence had been reported. Down on the
border near the New Hampshire line
and In the vicinity of Portsmouth,
where the moths were reported last
season and from which point they
would probably be brought into Maine,
the search was especially thorough
but was withoue results.
Reports of the presence of the cater
pillars Of the moth, however, have
| been received from nearly every sec
| ton of the State, and many of the re-
ports received at the department and
by Prof. Hitchings have been accom-
panied by evidence in the shape of the
i
pillars have been without exception
| those of the mourning cloak butterfly
which is one of the first butterflies to
make its appearance in the spring
time.
One report which was received a
short time ago from York county was
| for awhile a source of some concern
as 1t came from gentleman who had
| been former resident of Massa-
| Chusetts and who had been familiar
| with the appearance and habits of the
moths and their caterpillars. He was
| convinced as to the identity of the
caterpillars which he had secured, but
when they came to be produced they
proved to be those of the mourning
cloak butterfly. These caterpillars are
very plenty this year. being found
everywhere. and it may be this fact
that has brought them more promi-
| nently into notice and given rise to the
suspicion that they were the young of
the dreaded gypsey.
| There are some characteristics in
| which the caterpillars of the gypsey
moth and the mourning cloak butter
fly are similar. and that is as regards
size and general color, both being
about two inches in length and of a
dark color. but there the similarity
ends. for while the caterpillar of the
mourning cloak butterfly has coarse
lspncs all over its body. with row of
brick red spots running tn" length of
its back. and has a small black head.
the caterpillar of the gypsey moth has
a very hairy body. with hairs which
/ in nf 10
along the back extend a double row of
blue spots and crimson spots The
head. also. is large and prominent and
is of light yellowish color. From a
| comparison of the two caterpillars it
| would seem that there should be no
difficulty in distinguishing them.
| Prof Hitchings received notice yes
terday morning from Auburn which
| stated that the brown-tail moths had
| invaded the city i'm large numbers.
and accompanying the letter was box
containing IL of the moths. II of them
being males. which had been caught
| Tuesday morning. He left for Auburn
| i'm the afternoon and from there will
go to Bath, Roothbay, POpham and
other places and will probably be gone
| a week
His last trip was to Portland, Saco.
Biddeford. Old Orchard. Peaks Island.
Eliot. Kittery and York. where he
found the conditions encouraging. He
said that the reports from Kittery and
Eliot had been greatly Overdrawn. At
| Old orchard no singns whatever We're
found. and at Rddeford and SacO the
city streets were i'm fine condition. In
some of the back yards where the peo-
pie had been careless and had neglected
to burn the nests the places were found
| to be badly infested and as many as 100
nests were found in one apple tree
| while the trees were covered with the
pupac of the moths.
At Eliot there were local spots where
| a half dozen nests would be found. and
| at Eliot Neck there were many nests
| hut conditions were not as bay as they
had been reported. Kittery was found
to be badly infested in some sections,
| but at York. owing to the efficient
| work had been done in the town, the
conditions were very encouraging. only
a few trees in the vicinity of Rices
point being found infested. all of which
shows what can be done with thorough
| work.
Highway Commissioner Sargent left
Wednesday afternoon for the town of
Lee. where he went with the county
commissioners Of Penobscot county for
the purpose of viewing place on the
State road where 1t has been proposed
to improve the location by building
around a hill.
AS the result Of an investigation
which has been conducted at the re-
quest of Insurance Commissioner Carr.
relative to an inccndiary fire which &C
CURED at Freeport on the night of July
Is. by which small dwelling was
destroyed in the suburbs Of the town.
facts are now in the possession of the
commissioner which will guarantee the
issuance Of a warrant. and 1t Is prob
able that an arrest will be made at an
early date.
: Hon. s. w. Matthews. commissioner
of Industrial and labor statistics, and
Major Charles ]. House. clerk at tine