Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1912-12-14
HEROIC EFFORT TO ExTERMINATE DREAD
BROWNTAIL AND GYPSY MOTH IN The EAST
One of the Most Successful Devices Yet Used Is the HanngaD
"Moth- Pot"-EIectrc Company Makes Experiments
With Arc Lamp Especially Arranged.

Two different quarts were counted,
one moth at time, and 1t was found
that there were just about 1,6OO moths
to quart. OF these about two-thirds
were females. This fact could easily
be determined from the moths as
taken from the globes, but careful OBJ
servations were made of those which
thickly encrusted the street lamp
poles, trees, sides of buildings, ETC.,
and gave good evidence that this per-
centage was accurate enough for all
purposes. In a bushel there were, or
course, $1,000 moths, according TO
these figures, or 5,494 500 in ALL III
60 per cent. were females, the figure
would be 3,296,640. In year the de-
velopment resulting from the eggs
deposited by each female would be
about 400, so that IL the quantity men
toned had not been destroyed in the
electric light globes, they would have
produced in excess of 1,31S,656,OOO
other moths to get busy on the trees
in 1913. Adding to this figure the
number that would be developed by
the females captured at the two sum-
mer resorts, Lake Massabesic and
Pine Island Park, the total of 1,474.-
| $4,000 is reached, truly astounding
| figure
In collecting the moths from the
globes the lamp trimmer simply
placed his hand over the opening at
| the bottom, removed the globe and
| dumped the contents after measure
ment into two-bushel bags Of close
| woven goods. Measuring was done
by means of ten-quart flaring pail,
suitably marked on the sides. The
| condition of the employees who at
tended to this job was shocking, as
they were covered with rash from
their toes to the top of their heads.
Some OF them found it necessary to
battle in creoline or strong yellow
soap baths five or six times day.
When thrown loosely in, such a
globe as that shown would hold about
1917 quarts of moths. However, after
globe got about half filed the
moths seemed to stew from the heat
of the lamp. so that about half way
through the heap would be wet and
at the bottom muddy" Several of
the inner globes gave way under the
confinement of the heat and were
badly distorted and discolored Some
times the globes would be SO full that
the moths would be heaped up and on
most of the heavy catch days they
were almost full to the brim. From
the globes the moths were taken to
one of the generating stations, where
they were thrown into the furnaces
and burned.
The theory upon which the device
works is that the globes shall be cut
off at such a height that the moths
can easily fly inside but be unable
conveniently to fly out. The shape
shown was found to be best when
used with the regulation type of OBJ
fuse angled refectors. Examination
of the moths when taken from the
globes showed them not to be badly
burned except occasionally on the
head. Death seemed to have resulted
from general suffocation from the in
tense heat or from impact against the
walls of the death chamber
The mold is now at the glass fac
tory and any public service corpora
ton or municipality can obtain the
special globes at the same price as
the regular type, as the mold has
been placed on file.