13 



porting above and below a majority of 26 declares the amount 

 of planting done to be below the average. Farmers have been 

 reluctant to commit seed to the cold, dry soil, inasmuch as 

 crops already planted remained at a standstill the greater 

 part of May. 



Farm Help and Wages. 



The scarcity of farm help continues as in past years, and 

 the percentage of good help is small. In a number of cases 

 help is reported as plentiful but poor. The average per- 

 centages of all help that may be called good help are: Barn- 

 stable, 56.4; Hampshire, 52.2; Franklin, 51.5; Plymouth, 

 47.9; Berkshire, 44.6; Worcester, 38.3; Bristol, 38.3; Essex, 

 32.7 ; Hampden, 32 ; Middlesex, 29.6 ; Norfolk, 29.5 ; Dukes, 

 25 ; jS[antucket, 10 ; the State, 40.4. Wages show no advance 

 over those of last year, although comparison of absolute 

 averages cannot be made. Help is paid from $25 to $30 per 

 month, with board, and $1.75 to $2 per day, without board, 

 or 20 cents an hour. Absolute monthly wage averages fol- 

 low: Bristol, $30.50; Nantucket, $30; Barnstable, $28.37; 

 Essex, $28.25; Franklin, $27.85; Worcester, $27.78; Nor- 

 folk, $27.43; Hampden, $27; Berkshire, $26.96; Middlesex, 

 $26.03; Plymouth, $25.11; Hampshire, $24.50; Dukes, 

 $22.50; the State, $27.19. Absolute day wage averages are: 

 Barnstable, $2.03; Nantucket, $2; Norfolk, $2; Franklin, 

 $1.92; Worcester, $1.90; Middlesex, $1.88; Hampden, 

 $1.87; Essex, $1.86; Plymouth, $1.85; Bristol, $1.84; 

 Berkshire, $1.79; Hampshire, $1.76; Dukes, no report; the 

 State, $1.88. 



ACEEAGE OF FaRM CrOPS. 



For the State as a whole there will be a slight increase in 

 the acreage of both com and potatoes. In Hampshire Coimty, 

 owing to the overproduction of 1912, the acreage of onions 

 will be below the average, while that of tobacco will be in- 

 creased. Encouraging reports of experimentation with al- 

 falfa were received from various parts of the State. The 

 impetus given fruit growing by the New England and Massa- 

 chusetts Fruit Shows continues to be felt in the setting out 

 of new orchards and the better care of old ones, although it 



