No. 4.] REPORT OF SECRETARY. xxi 



seemed to warrant. These institutes, of which there were 

 11, were not held under the auspices of an incorporated 

 society, but of some other agricultural organization. Perhaps 

 it should be said in this connection that, while the holding 

 of such institutes is not particularly encouraged, it is real- 

 ized that there are conditions or circumstances which justify 

 such action on the part of this office. The money paid 

 lecturers being furnished by the State, it is conceded that all 

 portions of the State are entitled to equal consideration in 

 its expenditure. 



Dairy Bureau. 



The work of the Dairy Bureau is set forth in its report to 

 the Legislature (Pub. Doc. No. 60), which report will be 

 found printed on pages 381-407 of this volume. There has 

 been no change in the personnel of the Bureau during the 

 past year. 



Gypsy Moth. 



The sum of $200,000 was appropriated by the Legislature 

 of 1898 for the continuation of the work of exterminating 

 this pest, except that by a later law $10,000 of this sum 

 must be used in brown-tail moth work. The report of the 

 committee in charge, with appendix, will be found printed 

 on pages 411-481 of this volume. 



Brown-tail Moth. 

 By chapter 544 of the Acts of 1898, the State Board of 

 Agriculture was required to take charge of the work of 

 exterminating the brown-tail moth. By this act the Board 

 of Agriculture was ' ' vested with all the powers now con- 

 ferred upon it by law in exterminating the gypsy moth," 

 and was given authority to "expend of the money hereto- 

 fore appropriated for the extermination of the gypsy moth a 

 sum not exceeding $10,000." By this act the law of 1897 

 requiring local authorities to suppress the brown-tail moth 

 was repealed. In March, 1898, an illustrated bulletin of 

 information on the brown-tail moth was issued by this office, 

 and several thousand copies were supplied citizens in the 

 infested districts. 



