xvi BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



Nails for Marking Trees. 



By chapter 49 of the Acts of 1891 it was made the duty 

 of the secretary of the State Board of Agriculture to pro- 

 cure and furnish nails or spikes, with a head with the letter 

 "M" plainly impressed upon each, to mayors and aldermen 

 of cities and selectmen of towns, as required by them for 

 the marking for preservation of shade trees within the limits 

 of the highways. The Legislature of 1892 (Acts of 1892, 

 chapter 147) amended the law so that trees may now be 

 so designated during any month of the year. It also appro- 

 priated $100 for the supplying of these nails, $48.42 of 

 which amount was expended. Applications for nails were 

 received from the towns of Acton, Barre, Billerica, Bolton, 

 Bourne, Falmouth, Holden, Lancaster, Paxton, Westford 

 and Yarmouth. 



Gypsy Moth ( Ocneria disjMr) . 



The committee of the Board of Agriculture elected April 

 28, 1891, has kept steadily at work in the effort to extermi- 

 nate the gypsy moth. Their report to the Legislature 

 (Senate Document No. 6) will be found printed on pages 

 259-298 of this volume. At the annual meeting, Feb. 2, 

 1893, Messrs. E. W. Wood of West Newton and Wm. H. 

 Bowker of Boston were added to the committee. 



Dairy Bureau. 



The Legislature of 1891, chapter 412, enacted a law pro- 

 viding for the protection of dairy })roducts and for the 

 establishing of a State Dairy Bureau. Their report to the 

 Legislature (Senate Document No. 10) will be found printed 

 on pages 299-314 of this volume. 



Abandoned Farms. 



The act authorizinji: the State P)()ard of Agriculture to 

 collect and circulate information relating to abandoned farms 

 was approved May 4, 1891. 



A summary of the work of this office to date shows the 

 following results : Number of abandoned or partially aban- 



