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In the circular to correspondents returnable to this office on 

 or before October 30, the following questions were asked : — 



1. Have root crops proved to be average crops? 



2. What is the condition of farm stock? 



3. Are concentrated commercial feed stuffs used in feed- 

 ing dairy stock, and if so, in what forms and amounts? 



4. What is the condition of fall seeding? 



5. Which of the leading crops in your locality do you 

 think have been most profitable? 



6. Which of the leading crops in your locality do you 

 think have been least profitable? 



7. Considered as a whole, has the season been a profit- 

 able one for your farmers ? 



Returns were received from one hundred and eight corre- 

 spondents, from which the following summary has been 



made : — 



Root Crops. 



Of the one hundred and one correspondents answering the 

 question in regard to root crops seventy-five report them 

 as average or more than average, and twenty-six as less than 

 average. In the eastern portions of the State and in Berk- 

 shire county the returns show an almost uniformly good con- 

 dition, most of the complaints of poor crops coming from 

 the Connecticut valley and from Worcester county. 



Farm Stock. 



Farm stock is in nearly, though probably not quite, aver- 

 age condition. Nearly three-fourths of the correspondents 

 speak of it as in either average, good, or excellent condition. 

 Most of the complaints of poor condition and thinness of 

 flesh come from the central and western sections of the 

 State, owing doubtless to the greater severity of the drought 

 in those sections, and also, perhaps, to the greater dependence 

 placed on pasture feeding by the dairy farmers. 



Concentrated Commercial Feed Stuffs. 



The returns would indicate that in all but a very few 

 localities concentrated commercial feed stuffs are relied on 

 to help out the fodder ration of the dairy stock. The 

 general practice would seem to be to use corn meal, bran, 

 shorts or middlings, or a combination of two or more of 



