No. 4.] REPORT OF SECRETARY. xv 



and 27 least profitable ; for apples, 5 most profitable, and 19 

 least profitable ; for tobacco, 13 most profitable ; for pears, 7 

 least profitable ; for rye, 2 most profitable ; for oats, 5 most 

 profitable and 1 least profitable ; for onions, 6 most profit- 

 able and 2 least profitable. 



The fourth question asked was, " Considered as a whole, 

 has the season been a profitable one for your farmers ? " Of 

 the 116 replies to this question, 80 stated it to have been a 

 profitable one; 12, that it had been an average season; 6, 

 that it had been a fairly prosperous season; 9, that it had 

 been more prosperous than usual ; and 9, that it had not 

 been a profitable season. 



The fifth question asked was, "Do you think farmers 

 anticipate an increase of prosperity in their business in the 

 near future?" Of the direct replies to this question, 79 

 correspondents stated that they did think farmers anticipated 

 an increase of prosperity in their business in the near future, 

 and 20 that they did not think so. It was estimated that 

 the farmers in the Housatonic and Connecticut valleys 

 alone would receive at least $1,400,000 more for their 

 tobacco crop than they did last year, an increase of over 

 eighty-seven per cent. 



Massachusetts Crop Reports. 



The issue of these monthly bulletins or reports began in 

 June, 1888, and about four hundred copies of the first 

 number were printed. Five bulletins were issued in 1888, 

 six in 1889, six in 1890, and six in 1891. For September, 

 1891, 2,400 copies of the bulletin were printed and dis- 

 tributed. The bulletin for June, 1888, contained 13 printed 

 pages, while each bulletin the past year contained 28 pages. 



The special subjects treated the past season were : Bulletin 

 No. 1, Tuberculosis; Bulletin No. 2, The Gypsy Moth; 

 Bulletin No. 3, Yields and Values per Acre of Crops in 

 Massachusetts as compared with Other States ; Bulletin No. 

 4, Oleomargarine ; Bulletin No. 5, Abandoned Farms in 

 Massachusetts. 



Two pages on Massachusetts weather, prepared by an 

 expert, were included in each bulletin ; and since Bulletin 

 No. 2 (June) a weekly statement of condition of crops in 

 this section and of temperature and rainfall for the whole 



