20 P.D. 123 



Soil Survey 



The field work on the soil survey of the commonwealth was completed 

 this year in Franklin County. The work was first undertaken in Barn- 

 stable, Norfolk and Bristol counties in 1919 and has been progressing each 

 year under co-operative agreement between the Department and the United 

 States Department of Agriculture, the Federal Department furnishing the 

 soil specialist, charting, editing and publishing the reports, while this Depart- 

 ment furnishes an assistant for the field work and transportation. 



The past season Mr. Rockwell Smith of Hadley represented the Bureau 

 of Soils, United States Department of Agriculture, and Mr. Carey Howlett, 

 the Massachusetts Department of Agriculture. Mr. Smith, a graduate of 

 the Massachusetts Agricultural College, and for several seasons an assistant 

 in this work, was promoted as chief surveyor by the Federal Department. 



Completed reports are now available for the counties of Barnstable, 

 Norfolk, Bristol, Worcester, Berkshire and Middlesex and may be secured, 

 free of charge, through this Department. Additional county reports will be 

 forthcoming as rapidly as possible with Dukes, Nantucket and Essex coun- 

 ties expected early in the year. 



Cost of the Franklin County survey to the Commonwealth was S925.63, 

 and total cost of the entire state SI 1,889.52. It is possible that the Federal 

 Department may later request a recheck in some specific instances of the 

 field work. 



Fairs 



For 125 years Massachusetts has been making Fair History. The year 

 1929 was by far the best of all. Agricultural exhibits in twenty-seven major 

 fairs of which the Department is co-operating increased fourteen per cent 

 over the preceding year, attendance thirty-six per cent and total premiums 

 offered $5,849.00, of which the Department contributed $539.25 over 1928. 



The Department paid state prize money to 27 major fairs, 17 community 

 fairs, 10 poultry and rabbit shows and 47 granges, totalling $21,395.25. In 

 addition, 200 state prize ribbons, 50 medals, 16 bangles and 9 special awards 

 were made. 



Special exhibits were made by the Department at the Flower Show in 

 Mechanics Hall, Boston; the Union Agricultural Meeting at Worcester; 

 the Brockton Fair and the Eastern States Exposition. 



The Division of Dairying and Animal Husbandry assisted in conducting 

 the Commercial Horse Show at the Eastern States Exposition at Spring- 

 field, the Boston Horse Show at Boston, the dairy department at Brockton 

 and Worcester Fairs, as well as the Dynamometer Contest at Springfield and 

 Worcester. 



The Massachusetts Building at the Eastern States Exposition was redeco- 

 rated and painted and the appearance of the grounds greatly improved by 

 the construction of a beautiful rock garden. 



The Department has issued monthly a Fairs Letter embodying timely 

 information on fair management, the improving of exhibits and other mat- 

 ters relating to the betterment of agricultural exhibits. 



Camp Gilbert at the Massachusetts Agricultural College was attended 

 by nearly 150 boys and girls and considered one of the most inspirational 

 gatherings ever held. The Department contributed $1,969.65 to this 

 Camp, which is under the personal direction of Professor George L. Farley, 

 State Leader of 4H Clubs. 



The Department, as has been its custom for several years, co-operated 

 with the Department of Vocational Education in sending a Stock Judging 

 Team to St. Louis who represented the commonwealth most creditably. 

 The total expense was $460.68. 



The Division of Fairs of the Department has continued its policy of visit- 

 ing all fairs receiving State Prize Money and checking up and tabulating all 

 records available in order to make comparisons from year to year, thereby 

 supplying information for the future benefit of all concerned. 



