Crop Eeport for the Month of Mai, 1898. 



Office of State Board of Agricxiltuee, 

 Boston, Mass., June 1, 1898. 



We present herewith Bulletin No. 1, Crop Report for the 

 month of May, the first of our series of monthly crop bulle- 

 tins for the present season. We shall follow out the same 

 general plan in the issuance of these bulletins as that adopted 

 last year, in particular endeavoring to place the bulletin 

 in the hands of our readers as near to the close of each month 

 as may be. As in former years, an article by some specialist 

 of the Board, or some other equally well-known scientist, 

 will be included in each issue. This bulletin contains an 

 article on "Nature's Foresters," by E. H. Forbush, orni- 

 thologist of this Board. 



Progress of the Season. 



The May returns of the United States Department of 

 Agriculture (Crop Circular for^ay, 1898) show the acreage 

 of winter wheat to be 5.7 per cent greater than last year. 

 ]n twenty-two of the thirty States where winter wheat is 

 raised the area devoted to it is increased by 2,097,513 acres, 

 and in eight other States there is a decrease aggregating 

 685,821 acres, the net increase being 1,411,692 acres. The 

 average condition of winter wheat is 86.5, against 86.7 a 

 month ago and 80.2 on May 1 of last year. The State 

 returns vary from 105 for Kansas to 26 for California. The 

 crop in the latter State is said to be the poorest ever raised 

 there. 



The average condition of winter rye is 94.5, as compared 

 with 92.1 one month ago and 88 last year. Pennsylvania 

 leads the States of principal production with a percentage of 

 97. With few exceptions the reports on the condition of 

 wnnter rye are exceedingly favorable. 



The reports on cotton deal only with the contemplated 

 acreage, as compared with acreage planted in 1897. Some 



