1890.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 4. xv 



3. How have the peculiarities of the season affected dairy products 

 iu quantity and price? 4. Are farmers in your vicinity generally 

 interested iu agricultural fairs ? " About eighty-five returns were 

 received, reporting a total estimate of twenty-five hundred baskets 

 as the peach crop this season, and $1.85 as the average price per 

 basket. It is evident that the total yield must have been consider- 

 ably larger. From these returns we also learned that, while many 

 towns produced a few peaches, very few farmers gave much atten- 

 tion to the growing of this fruit. Most of our correspondents 

 report that the outlook for success in the future cultivation of the 

 peach is not very encouraging. The peculiarities of the season 

 caused, in some localities, an increase in the quantity of dairy 

 products, while prices remained about an average. The excess 

 of moisture and cloudy weather produced an inferior quality of 

 feed, and this was followed by loss of quality in dairy products. 

 The farmers of the State, as a whole, are undoubtedly interested 

 in agricultural fairs, and receive direct benefit from them. The 

 rowen crop was unusually large, but, owing to unfavorable 

 weather, much of it was spoiled in trying to secure it. The aver- 

 age yield was about one ton per acre. The onion crop was below 

 the average, both in quantity and quality. The cranberry crop was 

 about three-fourths of an average. Late potatoes were about half 

 a crop, with quality about three-fourths of an average. The crop 

 of winter apples was somewhat less than half a crop, of about 

 three-fourths of an average quality. By the close of the month 

 corn had been cut and husking had commenced in some sections. 



In this report was included an extract from an address before 

 the Essex Agricultural Society, by Hon. H. G. Herrick of Lawrence. 



Synopsis of Bulletin No. 6. — Crop Report for October. 

 The weather during the month was very much like that of the 

 preceding months. There was less bright sunshine than usual. 

 The rainfall was above the average. At Milton the mean temper- 

 ature j^as nearly two degrees below the forty years' average. 

 Snow fell in Monroe on the 8th, 11th and 13th. There were no 

 severe gales. In the circular sent to correspondents about the 

 20th of the month, the following questions were asked: "1. Is 

 this year's crop of Indian corn an average one? 2. Are root crops 

 up to the average in quantity and quality? 3. On the whole, has 

 this season been a profitable one for your farmers? 4. In your 

 opinion, what per cent of farms in your town are mortgaged? 

 5. In your opinion, is the number of deserted farms in your 

 vicinity greater than it was ten years ago ? " About eighty returns 

 were received, from which we learned that the crop of Indian corn 



