USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Reading > Town of Reading Massachusetts annual report 1904 > Part 11
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GYPSY AND BROWN TAIL MOTHS
[Printed by Request of Citizens' Committee]
GYPSY AND BROWN TAIL MOTHS
Leafless and dying trees, millions of caterpillars crawling about, discomfort and suffering for everybody from brown tail moth itch. This is what is coming next Spring, if every householder does not destroy the eggs of the gypsy moth at once, and as soon as the leaves are gone remove from the trees all the nests of the brown tail moth. Each cluster of eggs destroyed and each nest burned, means the death of hundreds of destructive pests.
THE GYPSY MOTH
Destroy the eggs of the Gypsy Moth as soon as possible after they are laid. Commence early in September and keep at it until every cluster has been destroyed.
WHERE TO FIND THE EGGS
Some of the eggs are on tree trunks and on the under side of limbs. But you will find most of them very near the ground - in bushes, rubbish heaps, on large stones, walls, fences and sides and corners of buildings.
WHAT THE EGGS ARE LIKE
When first laid they consist of clusters of four or five hundred eggs covered with the light brown down of the moth, giving them the appearance of small silk-velvet cushions of a bright buff or sponge color. Later on, they may turn nearly white, or become quite dark colored from exposure to the weather.
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HOW TO DESTROY THE EGGS
Dip the brush into the creosote, paint the cluster thoroughly, taking pains not to break it up. Allow it to soak in for a few min- utes, then paint over again, working the creosote into the cluster with the brush so that every egg is reached and killed. Do not at- tempt to remove the eggs from their place of attachment, unless they are in such a position that they cannot be reached to paint with creosote. If beyond reach, detach them with the scraper, taking pains to hold a suitable container to catch the eggs and pre- vent their being scattered about, as every egg so scattered is liable to hatch in the Spring. These detached eggs should be saturated with creosote or burned. If a tree has any loose bark, removing this carefully may reveal many egg clusters.
THE GYPSY MOTH CATERPILLARS
The gypsy moth caterpillars are far more destructive eaters than the brown tails. The eggs hatch about the first of May. When an inch and a half or more in length, a double row of blue spots is seen near the head, followed by a double row of crimson spots extending to the tail. The gypsy moth caterpillar is very hairy and has a comparatively large head.
TO KEEP THE CATERPILLARS FROM ASCENDING THE TREES
Before the first of May place a girdle of burlap 12 to 15 inches wide around each tree, tie it in the middle with a stout cord and then turn down the upper half so as to form a flap, or tent, into which the caterpillars crawl and remain until removed. Turn up the flaps once a day and brush the worms into a dish of boiling water. They will be found in the greatest numbers after the first of May.
THE GYPSY MOTH
The caterpillars enter the chrysalis form from the middle to the last of July, and early in August the moths crawl out. The female moth has full developed wings, whitish in color, but does not fly. It crawls about, often fluttering its wings, near its place of birth, and soon lays its eggs and dies. Destroy every one you see.
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THE BROWN TAIL MOTH
Remove the nests from shrubs and trees as soon as the leaves are gone in the Autumn. Keep at it until every one is removed. These nests are found at the end of branches and consist of webs enclosing one or more leaves. They contain from 50 to 800 small caterpillars. They should be burned in the furnace or stove. Do not burn on a bon-fire unless first saturated with kerosene to make sure that everyone is destroyed. It is useless to cut them from the trees and allow to lie upon the ground, as the caterpillars crawl out from their nests and ascend the trees early in the Spring.
THE BROWN TAIL'S SPRING FEEDING
All the webs or nests should be destroyed before the first of March. From the 18th of March to the 20th of April the young caterpillars crawl from their nests and begin feeding. Sometimes they eat the leaf buds as they begin to open, and so prevent the tree leafing out. When they first crawl from the web they are about one-fourth of an inch in length. In early June they are from an inch to an inch and a quarter long, full grown, dark brown or black, with markings of a yellowish or dull reddish color. They have an abundance of small reddish yellow or brownish barbed hairs, which are shed and scattered about in molting and more or less during feeding. These hairs, coming in contact with the hu- man skin, penetrate it and cause severe irritation.
SPRAYING THE TREES DURING FEEDING
The only method of destroying the caterpillar during feeding is to spray the trees, using Paris Green in the proportion of one pound to 150 gallons of water, or a teaspoonful to two gallons of water ; or better still, 5 to 10 pounds of Arsenate of Lead to 150 gallons of water. The Arsenate of Lead adheres to the foliage better and does not injure it as does Paris Green. These mixtures must be kept constantly stirred while being used.
THE BROWN TAIL MOTHS The caterpillars enter the chrysalis condition during the last
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half of June and the white moths emerge from the first to the 20th of July. The female has a large tuft of yellowish to dark brown hairs on the end of the abdomen - hence the name "Brown Tail Moth." They lay an average of 250 eggs each. They are great flyers, usually resting during the day and flying during the night, the greatest number being seen between the hours of ten o'clock and midnight.
TRAP THE MOTHS
When the moths BEGIN FLYING early in July, each night place in your yard a wash tub or other similar container in which is water a few inches in depth with its surface covered with a layer of kerosene oil (a pint or so to each tub). Suspend a lighted lantern so that it hangs about half an inch above the surface of the liquid in the tub. Next morning remove the moths that have collected in the tub, destroy them and renew the trap in the early evening.
FALL FEEDING OF BROWN TAILS
The eggs laid by the Brown Tail Moth from the 1st to the 20th of July hatch in about fifteen to twenty days, or from the 15th of July to the 10th of August. The young larvæ at once commence to feed on the surrounding foliage, returning each night to the original breeding leaf. They eat the epidermis of the leaves and cause them to turn brown, as if scorched by fire. They often attack fruit and impair its value. They continue feeding until early in September, when they enter their webs or nests to remain until the following March. Many might be destroyed by spraying during the fall feeding.
CAUTION
Fruit trees bearing fruit should not be sprayed during the fall feeding time, as the poison is liable to adhere to the fruit and be dangerous to life.
BROWN TAIL ITCH
The working of the barbed hairs of the Brown Tail Moth into the skin causes intense irritation. It varies in severity from a mild
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rash to violent inflammation accompanied by extensive swellings and numerous little blisters. In some cases it has been so extensive as to cause death. It may arise from the hairs becoming attached to clothes hung out to dry, from the hairs lodging upon the person out of doors, or from being blown in large numbers into the house and so coming in contact with the person.
REMEDIES FOR BROWN TAIL ITCH
The inflammation is renewed daily from contact with a new supply of the irritating hairs and a cure may not be complete while the cause remains. Relief may be found in the use of vase- line, sweet oil, alcohol and water mixed, bay rum, and a mixture of alcohol 1-4 pint, water of ammonia a tablespoonful, water 1-2 pint. Lotions may not soothe as much as the vaseline or oil, but are muchi more cleanly to apply.
WHAT WE SHOULD DO
Every citizen should destroy the eggs of the Gypsy Moth and remove and burn the nests of the Brown Tail Moths on his prem- ises and adjoining shade trees that can be reached.
TOWN WARRANT
OF REA
TOWN
SETTLED
63
COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS
MIDDLESEX S.S.
To EITHER OF THE CONSTABLES OF THE TOWN OF READING, GREETING :
In the name of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, you are hereby required to notify and warn the inhabitants of the Town of Reading qualified to vote in elections and Town affairs, to meet in Lower Lyceum Hall, in said Reading, on Monday, the sixth day of March, A. D. 1905, at six o'clock in the forenoon, to act on the following articles, viz .:
Article 1. . To choose a Moderator to preside at said meeting.
Art. 2. To bring in their votes on one ballot for Town Clerk, Selectmen, Overseers of the Poor, one member of Board of Asses- sors for three years, Treasurer, Collector of Taxes, one member of Board of Health for three years, two Constables, one Water Com- missioner for three years, one member of the Municipal Light Board for three years, two Trustees of Laurel Hill Cemetery for three years, two Trustees of the Public Library for three years, two members of the School Committee for three years, three Auditors, and Tree Warden for one year ; also, on same ballot, Yes or No, in
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answer to the following question : "Shall licenses be granted for the sale of intoxicating liquors in this town ?"
Hereof fail not, and make due return of this Warrant, with your doings thereon, to the Town Clerk, at or before the time appointed for said meeting.
Given under our hands this seventh day of February, A. D. 1905.
JAMES W. KILLAM, OLIVER L. AKERLEY, HENRY R. JOHNSON,
Selectmen of' Reading.
TOWN WARRANT
OK
EA
TO
SETTLED
INS
COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS.
MIDDLESEX S.S.
To EITHER OF THE CONSTABLES OF THE TOWN OF READING, GREETING :
In the name of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, you are hereby required to notify and warn the inhabitants of the Town of Reading qualified to vote in elections and Town affairs, to meet in Lyceum Hall, in said Reading, on Monday, the sixth day of March,
232
A. I). 1905, at seven thirty o'clock in the evening, to act on the fol- lowing articles, viz .:
Article 1. To choose a Moderator to preside at said meeting.
Art. 2. To hear and act on the reports of the Selectmen, Overseers of the Poor, Assessors, Treasurer, Collector of Taxes, School Committee, Water Commissioners, Municipal Light Board, Engineers of Fire Department, Trustees of the Cemetery, Trustees of the Public Library, Auditors, Board of Health, Finance Commit- tee, Tree Warden, and Special Committees.
Art. 3. To choose all other necessary Town Officers, and to determine what instructions they will give the Town Officers.
Art. 4. To determine how much money the Town will raise and appropriate for Schools, Incidental School Expenses, Superin- tendent of Schools, Repairs of Highways, Bridges and Sidewalks, Sprinkling Streets, Removing Snow and Ice, Concrete Sidewalks and Edgestones (provided abutters pay one-half), Fire Department, Police Department, Forest Fire Wards, Support of Poor, Salaries of Town Officers, State and Military Aid, Soldiers' Relief, Printing, Abatement of Taxes, Town Building, Cemetery, Public Library, Memorial Day, Board of Health, Care of Old South Clock, Interest Account, Care and Improvement of the Common, Mayall Park and Elm Park, Election Expenses, Concrete Gutters, Crosswalks and Paved Gutters, Repairs of Concrete, Miscellaneous Expenses and Tree Warden.
Art. 5. To see if the Town will raise and appropriate the sum of eighty-two hundred and eighty dollars for the purpose of maintaining one hundred and thirty-eight arc lights at sixty dollars per light; and appropriate the same together with receipts of Plant and cash on hand, as follows, viz .:
Three thousand dollars for construction account and the bal- ance for interest and maintenance accounts of the Municipal Light and Power Plant for the year ending December thirty-first, 1905, or what they will do in relation thereto.
Art. 6. To see if the Town will raise and appropriate the
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sum of thirty dollars to install an arc lamp on High street, about one hundred feet north of Woburn street, or what they will do in relation thereto.
Art. 7. To see if the Town will raise and appropriate the sum of thirty dollars to install an arc lamp on Salem street, near Winter street, or what they will do in relation thereto.
Art. 8. To see if the Town will raise and appropriate the sum of sixty-five dollars to install an arc lamp on Green street, near Elliott street, or what they will do in relation thereto.
Art. 9. To see if the Town will raise and appropriate the sum of fifty dollars to install an arc lamp on Bancroft avenue, midway between Mt. Vernon street and Middlesex avenue, or what they will do in relation thereto.
Art. 10. To see if the Town will raise and appropriate the sum of fifty dollars to furnish electricity for the Home for Aged Women.
Art. 11. To see if the Town will raise and appropriate the sum of twenty-five dollars to furnish water for the Home for Aged Women.
Art. 12. To determine how much money the Town will raise and appropriate for service pipes, hydrant rental, water for drinking fountains, water for street sprinkling, interest on water loan and maintenance of water works.
Art. 13. To see if the Town will authorize their Treasurer, under the direction of the Selectmen, to hire money in anticipation of the taxes of the municipal year.
Art. 14. To determine the compensation of the Collector.
Art. 15. To see what instructions the Town will give the Board of Selectmen in relation to filling the vacancies on the Fi- nance Committee of the five members whose terms expire this year.
Art. 16. To see if the Town will raise and appropriate the sum of fifty dollars for the purpose of furnishing electricity for lighting Grand Army Hall on Haven street, or what they will do in relation thereto.
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Art. 17. To see if the Town will raise and appropriate the sum of eleven hundred and sixty dollars to meet the interest on School House Bonds.
Art. 18. To see if the Town will raise and appropriate the sum of four hundred eighty-two dollars and fifty cents to meet the interest on School House Notes.
Art. 19. To see what action the Town will take to meet pay- ment of Electric Light and Power Plant Note for fourteen hundred dollars due May 1, 1905.
Art. 20. To see what action the Town will take to meet pay- ment of School House Note for two thousand dollars due May 10, 1905.
Art. 21. To see if the Town will instruct the Board of Selectmen to purchase the playground on Washington street owned by Mr. Kirk Sweetser, or what they will do in relation thereto.
Art. 22. To see if the Town will authorize their Treasurer, under the direction of the Selectmen, to issue the note or notes of the Town for the sum of seventy-six hundred dollars for the pur- poses set forth in Article 21 of this warrant, or what they will do in relation thereto.
Art. 23. To see if the Town will appropriate the sum of seven hundred and fifty dollars (the amount raised and appro- priated last year ) for the purpose of taking care of the water on Pearl street, or what they will do in relation thereto.
Art. 24. To see if the Town will authorize the Board of Selectmen to drain West street at a point near John H. Knights', said drain to be laid across land of Henry Livermore; and raise and appropriate the sum of three hundred dollars for that purpose, or what they will do in relation thereto.
Art. 25. To see if the Town will allow Dr. H. B. Howard to lay a drain from Manning's Block, so called, along Main street to a point near the Y. M. C. A. building, under the direction of the Board of Selectmen, or what they will do in relation thereto.
Art. 26. To see if the Town will authorize the Board of
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Selectmen to build a sidewalk on the easterly side of Grove street, from Lowell street to Forest street, and appropriate the sum of seventy-five dollars, which was raised and appropriated last year .. Any expenditure over this amount necessary to complete the work to be taken from the regular highway appropriation, or what they will do in relation thereto.
Art 27. To see if the Town will authorize the School Com- mittee to dispose of the school house on North Main street, or what .. they will do in relation thereto.
Art. 28. To see if the Town will concur with the Board of Harbor and Land Commissioners in the proposed change in the boundary line between the towns of Lynnfield and Reading as recommended by said Board, or what they will do in relation thereto.
Art. 29. To see if the Town will raise and appropriate the sum of one hundred dollars toward defraying the expense of band concerts for the coming summer, or what they will do in relation thereto.
Art. 30. To see if the Town will vote to purchase of the Old South M. E. Church the lot of land adjoining the cemetery, lying northerly of a line parallel to and twenty-five feet distant from the northerly end of the chapel belonging to said church, containing fourteen thousand square feet, for the sum of one thou- sand dollars, or what they will do in relation thereto.
Art. 31. To see if the Town will raise and appropriate the sum of thirty-five hundred dollars for the Police Department for the ensuing year, or otherwise provide for the same, or what they will do in relation thereto.
Art. 32. To see if the Town will vote to pay the members of the Fire Department thirty-five dollars per year, or what they will do in relation thereto.
Art. 33. To see if the Town will vote to purchase one thou- sand feet of Fire Hose, and how much money they will raise and: appropriate for that purpose, or what they will do in relation thereto.
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Art. 34. To see if the Town will vote to purchase a Life Sav- ing Apparatus, and how much money they will raise and appro- priate for that purpose, or what they will do in relation thereto.
Art. 35. To see if the Town will authorize the Board of Fire Engineers to establish à Fire Alarm Box at the corner of Main and Forest streets, and raise and appropriate the sum of seventy-five dollars therefor, or what they will do in relation thereto.
Art. 36. To see if the Town will raise and appropriate the sum of sixty dollars for the purpose of placing a hydrant on South Main street, opposite the house of A. P. Oliver, or what they will do in relation thereto.
Art. 37. To see if the Town will authorize the Board of Se- lectmen to purchase a steam road-roller at a cost not exceeding three thousand dollars, and raise and appropriate the sum of four hundred dollars for payment of a portion of the purchase price, and give the note or notes of the Town for the balance, or what they will do in relation thereto.
Art. 38. To see if the Town will raise and appropriate the sum of one hundred and twenty-five dollars for the purpose of shingling the barn at the Town Home, or what they will do in relation thereto.
Art. 39. To hear and act on the report of the Selectmen on the laying out of Grove street, from Lowell street to Forest street, and to determine if the Town will raise and appropriate the sum of one hundred and fifty dollars for that purpose.
Art. 40. To see if the Town will appoint a committee for the purpose of revising the By-Laws, or what they will do in relation thereto.
Art. 41. To see if the Town will raise and appropriate the sum of two hundred dollars for the purpose of installing a heater in the Town Building, or what they will do in relation thereto.
Art. 42. To see if the Town will adopt the report of the Committee on Building Laws which was appointed at the annual
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Town Meeting, March, 1901, or what they will do in relation thereto.
Art. 43. To see if the Town will raise and appropriate the sum of two hundred dollars for the purpose of paying the amount. due the attorney in the Nowell case, (Commonwealth of Massa- chusetts vs. Town of Reading), or what they will do in relation thereto.
Art. 44. To hear and act on the report of the Selectmen in relation to guide posts, and to determine if the Town will raise and appropriate the sum of fifty dollars for the repair of the same.
Art. 45. To see if the Town will revise and accept the list of names of jurors as prepared and posted by the Selectmen.
Hereof fail not, and make due return of this Warrant, with your doings thereon, to the Town Clerk, at or before the time appointed for said meeting.
Given under our hands this seventh day of February, A. D. 1905.
JAMES W. KILLAM, OLIVER L. AKERLEY, HENRY R. JOHNSON, Selectmen of Reading.
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LIST OF NAMES OF JURORS
The subscribers, Selectmen of Reading, present the following list of persons, who, in their judgment, are qualified to serve as jurors :
Adams, George E. Clerk
Allen, William J.
Clerk
Badger, Henry B.
Church Organ Worker Carpenter
Batchelder, Howard W.
Farmer
Batchelder, Adelbert E.
Farmer
Beaudry, Charles B.
Organ Pipe Worker
Bessom, Charles F.
Farmer
Bosson, Harry P.
Insurance Agent
Brown, Joseph II.
Restaurateur
Brown, Samuel
Wheelwright
Bowker, Samuel W.
Contractor
Bancroft, Frederick
Broker
Bailey, Willard L.
Merchant
Carter, George
Laborer
Connelly, John
R. R. Employe
Cook, George
Bookkeeper
Cook, Walter F.
Painter
Davis; Arthur E.
R. R. Employee
Devaney, Patrick, Jr.
R. R. Employee
Shoe Worker
Eames, Charles B. Eames, Edward B.
Merchant
Eames, George T.
Real Estate
Eames, Webster
Laborer
Eaton, John H.
Carpenter
Flint, George L.
Carpenter
Horrocks, George E.
Real Estate Shoe Worker Farmer
Jones, William H.
Hanscom, Edwin C.
Contractor
Kimball, Charles D.
Machinist
Johnson, J. Dana
Batchelder, Warren A.
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Knight, Edgar M.
Krook, Lambertus W.
La Clair, Henry S.
Lee, Charles W.
Lovejoy, Eugene L.
MacDougal, Chester W.
MeIntire, Herbert E.
Mack, George .
Machinist Cabinet Maker Farmer Merchant Merchant Plumber Carpenter Upholsterer Merchant
Mears, William H.
Nichols, Amos C.
Caterer
Nichols, Parker
Farmer
Oakes, George F.
Engineer
Parker, Asa
Farmer
Parker, Fred A.
Organ Pipe Worker Cabinet Maker Clerk
Pratt, David W.
Laborer Laborer
Runkle, E. Holcombe
Clerk
Roundy, Elmer J.
Farmer
Sargent, George A. .
Shoe Worker Clerk
Stewart, Spencer G.
Builder
·Smith, Benjamin Y. Stinchfield, Charles II.
Machinist Farmer
Trask, Charles W. C.
Temple, Joseph S. .
Manufacturer
White, Thomas J.
Merchant
'Quillen, William
Carpenter
JAMES W. KILLAM, OLIVER L. AKERLEY, HENRY R. JOHNSON,
Selectmen of Reading.
Reading, Feb. 11, 1905.
Parker, Horace A.
Peabody, Dean
Pratt, Wilmot K.
Stone, Merrick A.
Organ Pipe Worker
.
INDEX
PAGE
Town Officers, 1904-1905
5
Report of Town Meetings
11
Town Clerk's Report, Births Registered
44
Marriages Registered
48
66
Deaths Registered
52
Selectmen's Report
55
Selectmen's Account
57 76 82
Fire Department
92
Police Department
94
Board of Health
101
66 Inspector of Plumbing .
104
Inspector of Animals and Provisions
105
66 Sealer of Weights and Measures .
107
Trustees of Cemetery
108
Tree Warden
111
Assessors
117
Collector
119
66 Overseers of the Poor . 120
Water Commissioners 134
162 196
Public Library
Summary of Accounts .
212 214
Auditors' Report .
218
Bonds and Notes Outstanding
223
Gypsy and Brown Tail Moths
225
Town Warrant
230
List of Jurors
238
.
208
Treasurer's Report
School Committee
Electric Light Commissioners
Dogs Licensed
54
Street Department
Report of Superintendent of Fire Alarm
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