12 



than those given for several years past, as the question con- 

 cerning farm help includes all grades, instead of referring 

 only to good or first-class help, as heretofore. Very little 

 farm help is hired by the month without board, but where 

 this is the case the average wage paid is about $35. From 

 $8 to $12 per month is allowed for board. For day help 

 $1.50 per day appears to be the ruling price, though in some 

 cases $1.25 is paid, and in others the price runs as high as 

 $2 per day. Many correspondents report that it is difficult 

 and even impossible to obtain good farm help. 



Suppression of Insect Pests. 



Question No. 6 was introduced for the purpose of calling 

 attention to an act of the present Legislature (chapter 78, 

 Acts of 1893) for the suppression of insect pests. No 

 town has as yet availed itself of the act, although in three 

 towns prizes have been offered to the school children, either 

 by horticultural or village improvement societies or by indi- 

 viduals, for the largest collection of the egg clusters of the 

 tent caterpillar, and in two others provision has been made 

 for the cutting of wild cherry trees within the limits of the 

 highways. The full text of the above-mentioned act is given 

 below : — 



An Act to provide for the extermination of insect pests. 

 Be it enacted, etc., as follows : 



Section 1. Cities and towns shall raise annually by taxation 

 and appropriate such a sum of money as they may deem necessary, 

 to be expended under the direction of the mayor and aldermen iu 

 cities and the selectmen in towns in exterminating insect pests 

 witbin the limits of the highways in their respective cities and 

 towns, and in the removal from said highways of all trees and 

 shrubs upon which such pests naturally breed : provided, however, 

 that where the owner or lessee of real estate abutting on the high- 

 way shall annually exterminate all insect pests from the trees and 

 shrubs along the highway where said real estate abuts thereon, 

 such trees and shrubs shall be exempt from the provisions of this 

 act. 



Sect. 2. This act shall take effect in any city when accepted 

 by the city council, and in any town when accepted at a legal 

 town meeting called for that purpose. [Approved March 9, 1893. 



