Crop Eeport for the Month of August, 1898. 



Office of State Board of Agriculture, 

 Boston, Mass., Sept. 1, 1898. 



Bulletin No. 4, Crop Report for the month of August, is 

 herewith presented. Particular attention is called to the 

 article on " Tuberculosis and the Milk Supply," by George 

 M. Whitaker, M.A., acting executive officer, Massachusetts 

 Dairy Bureau, which is printed at the close of this bulletin. 



Progress of the Season. 



The August returns of the United States Department of 

 Agriculture (Crop Circular for August, 1898) give the aver- 

 age condition of corn as 87. This is 3.5 points lower than 

 last month, 2.8 points higher than on Aug. 1, 1897, 9 points 

 lower than on Aug. 1, 1898, and six-tenths of one point 

 below the August average of the last ten years. 



The average condition of spring wheat is 96.5. This is 

 1.5 points higher than last month, 9.8 points above the 

 average on Aug. 1, 1897, 17.6 points above that on Aug. 1, 

 1896, and 13.5 points above the August average of the last 

 ten years. 



The average condition of oats is 84.2, as compared with 

 an average of 92.8 last month, with 86 on Aug. 1, 1897, 

 77.3 on Aug. 1, 1896, and 83.7, the August average of the 

 last ten years. The proportion of the oat crop of last year 

 still in the hands of farmers is estimated at 6.4 per cent, as 

 compared with 10.1 per cent of the crop of 1896 in farmers* 

 hands one year ago. 



The average condition of barley is 79.3, as compared with 

 85.7 last month, with 87.5 on Aug. 1, 1897, with 82.9 on 

 Aug. 1, 1896, and with 86, the August average of the last 

 ten years. 



