31 



estates sent to the local authorities, an attempt was made to enforce the 

 law. In Somerville, Cambridge, and Medford the trees along the streets 

 were cleared by the city authorities, and the owners of the infested 

 estates were required to clear the webs from their trees. In other cities 

 and towns but little was done, the people having experienced no incon- 

 venience from this insect, allowed the work to go by default. In Som- 

 erville, where the pest stripped the trees over large areas, and the cat- 

 erpillars migrated from one orchard to another in great swarms, and 

 also where many people suffered severely from the irritating effects of 

 these caterpillars, the authorities and citizens carried on a somewhat 

 systematic campaign against this insect in the winter of 1897-98. As 

 a result, there were practically no brown-tail moths last spring in all 

 those places that were successfully worked over. 



Local work as carried on last winter was uneven. Where a vigorous 

 effort was made to carry out the law good results followed; but where 

 half measures were adopted the results were unsatisfactory. Somer- 

 ville and Medford tried to exterminate the moth, but Maiden, adjacent 

 to these two cities, made no effort. This year the southern part of 

 Maiden has raised a sufficient number of brown-tail moths to restock 

 the greater part of Medford and Somerville. 



From the experience of the past year it seems very doubtful whether 

 it would be possible to exterminate this insect from so large an extent 

 of territory as it now occupies in this country if the enforcement of the 

 law be left to the town or city authorities, but it may be possible to 

 keep it more or less under subjection, as is done in Europe, and as was 

 done in some of the above-named cities the past year. 



During the last session of the legislature the following law was 

 enacted putting the work of exterminating the brown-tail moth into the 

 hands of the board of agriculture, and revoking the previous law 

 relating to this insect: 



Whenever the pest known as the brown-tail moth is discovered in any city or 

 town of this Commonwealth, it shall be the dnty of the State board of agriculture 

 to take immediate steps to prevent its spread; and, in the discharge of the duty 

 imposed upon said board by this act, said board is hereby vested with all the powers 

 now conferred upon it by law in exterminating- the gipsy moth, and may expend of 

 the money heretofore appropriated for the extermination of the gipsy moth a sum 

 not exceeding ten thousand dollars. 



Any person who shall purposely resist or obstruct said State board of agriculture 

 or any person or persons under their employ, while engaged in the execution of the 

 purposes of this act, shall be punished by a fine not exceeding twenty-five dollars 

 for each offense. 



It shall be unlawful for any person knowingly to bring the insect known as the 

 brown- tail moth, or its nests or eggs, within this Commonwealth, or for any person 

 knowingly to transport said insect or its nests or eggs from any town or city to 

 another town or city within this Commonwealth except while engaged in and for 

 the purposes of destroying them. Any person who shall violate the provisions of 

 this section shall be punished by a fine not exceeding two hundred dollars, or by 

 imprisonment in the house of correction not exceeding sixty days, or by both said 

 fine and imprisonment. 



