324 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



Private Property Work. 

 One of the most encouraging features of the year is the interest 

 on the part of local superintendents in accomplishing as much 

 work as possible that is self-supporting. A few years ago it was 

 very easy for the public and private work to be so mixed that the 

 cities and towns came to the State for a larger reimbursement 

 than they should. Now we have a comprehensive knowledge of 

 the area and the number of trees to be cared for in the cities and 

 towns, and hence can estimate the approximate expense necessary 

 to treat them. Once the strictly public work is planned for, the 

 remainder of the trees in the city or town are cared for by the 

 local superintendent at cost to the owner. This method has had 

 a tendency to make individuals depend upon the town force to 

 do their work, or have it done for them. The more private work 

 that a superintendent can get done, the less the amount of future 

 public work, since the one spreads to the other. The amount of 

 private work accomplished in many places the past season is 

 certainly creditable to the local officials in charge. In order to 

 accomplish this work, as alluded to elsewhere in this report, 

 equipment and trained, reliable employees are essential. 



Work on State Highways. 

 During the past year the moth work on the State highways 

 has been done under the supervision of this department, and the 

 expenses paid by the highway commission. Besides the gypsy 

 and brown-tail moth work we also attended to the elm-leaf beetle 

 spraying and did some improvement pruning. This work is 

 usually done by our various local superintendents, under the 

 supervision of this office. It is believed that the highway com- 

 mission should be given a much larger appropriation for this and 

 similar work. Next to good roads themselves, well-planted and 

 properly cared for shade trees are appreciated by everybody; in 

 fact, they make a country desirable to live in. In this connection 

 I w^ould suggest the advisability of making the town tree warden 

 an appointive rather than an elective office, similar to the forest 

 warden appointment, so that if a definite policy for setting out 

 and caring for shade trees were outlined results would follow. 

 At present, one town does weW, while its neighbor may be in(Uf- 



