72 THE BROWX-TAIL MOTH. 



caterpillar Avhile in adjacent yards there stand pear trees 

 bearing hundreds of webs within easy reach. Dense infes- 

 tations should be stam})ed out first of all, to prevent a 

 serious caterpillar outbreak the following year, with its 

 consecjuent damage to propcrt}^ and persons. Later on, the 

 more thinly infested districts should be worked over so far 

 as funds permit. 



From three to ten men can be profitably employed in a 

 gang, while several gangs ma}'" be placed under one foreman 

 or inspector. Maps showing accurately the location of the 

 principal infestations, together Avith the streets included 

 therein, should be in the hands of the foreman, in order 

 that a proper record of each day's work may be made, and 

 thus preserved for future reference. 



The importance of destroying the moth on private estates 

 as well as on street trees has already been pointed out. 

 Usually where this has been attempted by municipal authori- 

 ties it has met with the approval if not co-operation of prop- 

 erty owners. Since, however, previous to 1902 there was 

 no law authorizing municipal authorities to enter private 

 grounds for this purpose, a special act conferring the desired 

 authority upon them seemed desirable. The following law 

 was enacted Feb. 5, 1902 : — 



[Chapter 57, Acts of 1902.] 

 An Act to altuokize certain city and town officers to enter 

 upon private lands for exterminating the brown tail 

 moth and other similar pests. 

 Be it enacted, etc., as follows : 



Section 1 . Whenever the brown tail moth, the elm-leaf beetle, 

 or any other tree or shrub destroying pest shall bv discovered in 

 any city or town of the Commonwealth, such city or town, by the 

 iiiuiiieipal oflicer or officers to whom the care of the shade trees 

 Ml the streets or roads of such city or town is or may ho intrusted, 

 may enter upon private land for the jnirpose of invcstiiratino; said 

 pest, and may adopt reasonable measures to prevent its spread 

 and to secure its extermination. 



Section 2. The owner of any land so entered upon, who shall 

 suffer (lamaj^^je ])y such entry and acts done thereon under the au- 

 tliority herein <iiven, may recover the same of the city or town in 

 which the lands so asserted to have been damaged are situated, 



