36 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



ahead etnd exterminate just as many of the brown-tail moths as 

 possible. He did that work and did it well so far as that goes, 

 and so far as I know. As the first session of the legislature 

 afterwards was approaching, our Society last year took the 

 matter up and after discussing it somewhat and realizing the 

 danger from the terrible pest, resolutions were passed calling for 

 the appointment of a committee to make such representations as 

 might be necessary to the committee on agriculture of the legis- 

 lature, and present to the legislature a bill covering the situation. 

 The committee as appointed I will say consisted of Mr. Gilbert 

 as chairman, myself as second on the committee, and Commis- 

 sioner Oilman as third. And I can assure you that Mr. Gilmart 

 in his position was one of the most influential and active on the 

 committee and rendered aid in every way possible. 



Well, we sat down together and talked over the situation and 

 examined more or less laws, both present and prospective, in 

 other places, and we concluded that the only way was to resort 

 to vigorous measures. We accordingly formulated a bill, which 

 in substance placed the matter in the hands of the commissioner 

 of agriculture and gave him for the purpose of carrying the 

 work forward the sum of $5,000 each for 1905 and 1906. That 

 is as far as the immediate bill reaches. A little later you will 

 have the opportunity of hearing from Prof. Hitchings who will 

 tell you somewhat of what the department has done. The 

 bill necessitated the appointment practically of an entomologist. 

 Mr. Oilman, after considering the matter and discussing what 

 was involved in it, decided that it was practically the proper 

 thing to have a State entomologist — I don't know but that we 

 did so in the bill — we did in substance because the work to be 

 done there necessitated the knowledge and skill possessed by an 

 entomologist. He arranged with Prof. Hitchings to do that 

 work and they have carried the work forward. I won't tell what 

 that work is because he is going to do that, I am simply telling 

 you what this committee, which you appointed last year, has 

 done. We were very proud of the result. We went before 

 the committee of the legislature. They gave us a most cour- 

 teous hearing, and other members of the legislature were 

 interested in every word that was said to them individually, and 

 when the time came for the legislature to act upon it it went 

 through without a dissenting voice. It is something I feel very 

 proud of, that in every instance when we have gone before the 



