No. 4.] REPORT OF SECRETARY. xvii 



not up to the average in condition. Drought delayed seed- 

 ing very much, and that which was put in did not progress 

 very fast. Later rains have helped it very materially. 



Thirty-eight of the 104 correspondents making returns 

 November 1 considered hay to have been among the most 

 profitable crops; 33, corn; 16, potatoes; 11, tobacco; 9, 

 dairy products; 5, oats; 4, apples, cabbages and cran- 

 berries ; 3, asparagus, etc. 



Forty-eight correspondents gave potatoes as among the 

 least profitable crops ; 17, apples ; 12, onions ; 7, cabbages ; 

 6, hay; 4, corn; 2, beans and strawl jerries, etc. 



Massachusetts Crop Reports. 

 The publication of monthly crop bulletins was continued 

 as in previous seasons, and six in all were issued (May- 

 October) , aggregating 190 pages of printed matter. Twenty- 

 two hundred copies of Nos. 2, 3 and 6, 2,300 copies of No. 

 1 and 2,400 copies of Nos. 4 and 5 were printed and dis- 

 tributed. The bulletins were made up as in 1893 and 1894. 

 The special subjects treated were : Bulletin No. 1, " Tuber- 

 culin, — what it is ; how it is used ; what it does ; " Bulle- 

 tin No. 2, "Hints on land drainage;" Bulletin No. 3, 

 "Birds as protectors of orchards;" Bulletin No. 4, "The 

 San Jose scale;" Bulletin No. 5, "Insecticides." These 

 special articles will be found printed on pages 341-393 of 

 this volume. Bulletin No. 6 contained an index to the bul- 

 letins of the years 1893, 1894 and 1895. Also, as in the 

 past three years, this office co-operated with the New Eng- 

 land Weather Service in the issuing of weekly weather- 

 crop bulletins. The first was of date of May 6 and the last 

 of date of October 7, 23 in all, representing an aggregate 

 issue of 58,000 copies. 



Publications. 

 The following publications were issued under the super- 

 vision of this office during the calendar year 1895 : — 



