10 



mention made of them by our correspondents is a proper 

 standard of comi^arison with former years. Other insects 

 mentioned are currant worms, white grubs, wire worms, 

 potato bugs, ehn-leaf beetles, asparagus beetles, tent cater- 

 pillars and apple-tree borers. More damage from the San 

 Jose scale is reported than usual, but this is probably due to 

 the fact that infested trees are dying rather than to any in- 

 crease of the general infestation. 



Planting. 



Planting was well in hand at the time of making returns, 

 potatoes and other early crops being mostly planted and 

 corn planting well on towards completion. Tobacco setting 

 had begun in the Connecticut valley. The dull and threaten- 

 ing weather of the month operated to check this class of farm 

 work, but the early start obtained prevented it in general 

 from falling below the normal. 



Faem Help and Wages. 

 There is a fair supply of farm help to be had, but there 

 is the usual complaint that little of it is really good help. 

 Really efficient farm labor is always difficult to secure and 

 always will be, as the best men are usually prudent and fore- 

 handed, and eventually succeed in obtaining farms of their 

 own. Wages are rather higher than they have been reported 

 in years past. Twenty-three dollars per month with board 

 seems to be a fair average of the wages paid, and from $35 

 to $40 per month without board, but with tenement, milk and 

 fuel. Daily or weekly help is almost never secured at a rate 

 below $1.50 per day, and there are many reports of higher 

 wages for day help, in some cases as high as $2.50 per day. 

 Such figures are exceptional, but there seem to be numerous 

 localities where $2 per day is the recognized rate of wages. 

 There are few farmers who can afford to employ help at 

 such prices and still show a profit on their products. 



