Rocky Ford enterprise., 1912-11-22
HEROIC EFFORT TO ExTERMINATE DREAD
BROMNTAIL AND GYPSY MOTH IN THE EAST
One of the Most Successful Devices Yet Used the Hanqan
"Moth- -Pot"-Electrc Company Makes Experiments
With Arc Lamp Especially Arranged

TWO different quarts we're counted.
one moth at time. and it was found
tnat there were just about 1900 moths
to quart. OF these about two-thirds
were females. This fact could easily
pe determined from the moths as
taken from the globes. but careful OBJ
servatlons were made of those which
thlcKiy encrusted the street lamp
poles, trees, sides of buildings, ETC.,
ana gave good evidence that this per
centage was accurate enough for all
purposes. In a bushel there were. of
course, $1,000 moths, according to
these figures, or 5.494,5OO in all. If
6O 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,656.0 900
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.-
56O,OOO is reached. a 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 a ten-quart fiaring 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.
bathe 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
1Ok quarts of moths. However. after
a globe got about half filled 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 oi
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 we're 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 mothi
can easily fly inside but be unable
conveniently to fly out. The shapt
shown was found to be best wher
used with the regulation type of OBJ
tuse 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 al
the regular type. as the mold hal
been placed on file.