53 



town; they are just coming to it. Tent caterpillars are doing the 

 most damage; no fire blight has come to my notice. Strawberries 

 were not injured gi-eatly, as a lieavy crop is being picked; prices 

 have been satisfactory, about the same as last year. No summer 

 spraying is done. 



Hopedale (Henry L. Patrick). — Peaches suffered from frost, 

 but other fruits were not damaged. Tree fruits did not set well, and 

 there has been considerable drop. Fruit prosi^ect: apple, poor; 

 pear, average; peach, poor; cherry, currant and raspbeny, good; 

 blackberry, exti'a good. Orchards are usually neglected; legumes 

 are used very little as cover crops. Tent caterpillar has done the 

 most damage. The strawberry crop was injured very little by frost; 

 prices higher than average. No summer spraying for fruit diseases. 

 In this immediate vicinity the apple crop will be very light. 



Middlesex County. 



Townsend (A. A. Seaver). — Frost has damaged fruits as fol- 

 lows: apples, 50; pears, 90; peaches, 60; plums, 30; cherries, 95; 

 small fruits, 25. Eighty j^er cent of tree fruits set well, and there 

 has not been much drop. Crop prospect : apple, pear, cherry, cur- 

 rant and raspberry, good; blackberry, fine; peach, fair; plum and 

 blueberry, poor. Most grass is cut and taken away; no legumes are 

 used as cover crops. The gypsy moth is the most troublesome in- 

 sect; no fire blight has appeared. The strawberry crop was injured 

 to some extent by frost, but the prices have been satisfactory; as 

 compared with 1912, they were good. No sprajdng is practiced 

 for sooty fungus. 



Littleton (John H. Hardy, Jr.). — Frost damaged finiits as fol- 

 lows: plums and cherries. 90; small fruits, 50; apples and pears 

 suffered no injury. Fifty per cent of tree fruits set well, and there 

 has been considerable drop. Fruit crop prospect: apple, 60; pear, 

 75; peach, 70; raspberry, 60; blackberry and blueberry, 90. Grass 

 is usually cut and removed from orchards; clean culture is generally 

 practiced; a little clover is planted as cover crop, but usually grass 

 and weeds are pennitted to come up. The gypsy moth is doing most 

 damage; blight, to a small extent, has appeared on Baldwin trees. 

 Strawberry crop Avas injured 50 per cent by frost: the prices were 

 better than the average, being 20 per cent higher than hi 1912. 

 Spraying for sooty fungus is being practiced to a small extent. One 

 quite serious case of fire blight occurred in a small orchard of Clapp 

 pears, here in town. 



South Lincoln (James E. Baker). — Small fruits suffered from 

 frosts, but other fruits were not damaged. About 75 per cent of 

 tree fruits have set well. Fruit crop prospect: apple, 50; pear, 

 cherry, blackberry and blueberry, 75; currant, 25. Clean culture 



