xviii BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



Nails for Marking Trees. 

 The work of supplying nails or spikes for the marking for 

 preservation of shade trees within the limits of highways, 

 under the provisions of chapter 196 of the Acts of 1890, has 

 been continued. The annual appropriation of $100 being 

 used up before the prorogation of the Legislature, an addi- 

 tional $100 was asked for and granted. Nails in varying 

 quantities have been supplied, on application, to the cities 

 of Fitchburg, Marlborough and Worcester, and to the towns 

 of Barre, Boxford, Bourne, Charlton, Chelmsford, Framing- 

 ham, Goshen, Harvard, Hardwick, Lancaster, Leominster, 

 Mashpee, New Salem, Northbridge, Pepperell, Sandwich, 

 Stow, Sunderland, Swansea, Tyngsborough and Winchen- 

 don. Since the work of supplying these nails was begun, 

 Dec. 26, 1891, 3 cities and '44 towns have availed them- 

 selves of the provisions of the act. In all there have been 

 furnished to date 6,226 three and one-quarter inch nails; 

 43,660 two and three-fourths inch nails, and 31,458 two and 

 one-quarter inch nails, making a total of 81,344. 



Abandoned Farms. 



The " Act to authorize the State Board of A2;riculture to 

 collect and circulate information relating to abandoned farms " 

 was approved May 4, 1891 (Acts of 1891, chapter 280). 

 Under this act four editions of a catalogue of abandoned 

 or partially abandoned farms were issued previous to the 

 year 1894, an account of which appeared in the secretary's 

 report for 1893. The fourth edition not being sufficient 

 to supply the demand for the catalogues, it was decided in 

 July, 1894, to issue a fifth edition. To make this edition as 

 exhaustive as possible, the executive committee decided to 

 call upon the members of the Board for their personal assist- 

 ance. The members of the Board gave valuable assistance, 

 and reported 541 new farms. Twenty-four new farms were 

 reported from other sources, making a total of 565. As 

 a partial result of this work, 143 new descriptions were 

 received, and were included in the catalogue as an addenda 

 to the fifth edition. 



A summary of the work of this office to da-te shows the 

 following results : — 



