viii BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



ture ; but, on the other hand, the spirit that holds that because 

 the best was not secured that which was granted is of no avail, 

 and that criticises and comj)laiiis, holding that all is lost be- 

 cause all was not gained, is not the spirit which will bring the 

 greatest results in the future. The kicker is a necessary ele- 

 ment of all progress, — the crank, the man with one idea, is 

 the man who starts things moving; but the perpetual kicker 

 soon wears out his welcome in the halls of legislation, and 

 fails to secure that which he seeks because he seeks not wisely. 



On the side of farming from the farm standpoint, the pro- 

 duction of crops and the making of a living from the farm, 

 the season has been only an average one for our farmers. The 

 most marked feature of the year has been the prolonged 

 drought, which, commencing early in the summer, has con- 

 tinued almost without interruption up to the present time. 

 The precipitation for the year has been far below the normal, 

 and, though what little rain there was came at times that made 

 it the most effective, so far as keeping farm crops growing 

 was concerned, streams, wells and springs failed in many sec- 

 tions and remain dry at present. This causes much incon- 

 venience to farmers, especially in dairy sections, but fortu- 

 nately the damage has not been as great as it might have been. 



Crops have been fairly good in most lines of farming, but 

 prices have, perhaps owing to the prevailing industrial de- 

 pression or to other causes beyond our power of discernment, 

 been rather lower than for the past two years. This, taken 

 with the not better than average crops and the high prices of 

 all that the farmer buys, have tended to keep down profits. 



It is seldom that a corn crop has been secured of greater 

 value to the farmers of Massachusetts, both for grain and 

 stover. The hot, dry weather of midsummer, which checked 

 the development of many other farm crops, was just what 

 was needed for the development of the corn crop ; and the con- 

 tinuance of these conditions at time of harvest led to the 

 quick curing of the stover, producing a bright, clean stover 

 of extra feeding value. The crop of ears was unusually good, 

 and where the crop was grown for ensilage it was put into the 

 silo in the very best and most valuable condition. The hay 

 crop was only a fair one, a good first crop, in most sections, 



