No. 4.] REPORT OF SECRETARY. • 13 



The potato crop in this State, as in many other sections, 

 rotted badly, and this fact, combined with a slight reduction in 

 acreage, brought the crop down from a final estimate last year 

 of 4,185,000 bushels to 2,600,000 bushels this year, a falling 

 off of nearly 40 per cent. 



The farm price is reported at 92 cents a bushel, against 

 68 cents last year, so that the farmers will receive about as 

 much money as for the larger crop. Taking these figures as a 

 basis, the farm value of the potato crop in 1914 was -$2,800,000, 

 against $2,372,000 for the present season. • 



The government reports the Massachusetts apple crop as 

 885,000 barrels, against 1,460,000 barrels in 1914. In your 

 secretary's opinion these figures both err on the side of being 

 too high. It seems to me that an even more serious mistake 

 has been made in estimating the apple crop for the country at 

 large, which is figured at 76,000,000 barrels, against 84,000,000 

 barrels in 1914. Even supposing the 84,000,000 barrel estimate 

 of 1914 to be true, it is evident, from the firm prices at which 

 apples have been ruling, that this year's crop must be more 

 than 10 per cent less than last. 



The Massachusetts tobacco crop of 1915 was about 2,000,000 

 pounds less than its predecessor. Flood and hail did con- 

 siderable damage, and the average yield per acre was de- 

 creased as a result. The total onion crop in the State was 

 1,487,454 bushels, against 2,018,480 bushels last year. It is 

 interesting to note that Massachusetts stands third in the 

 Union in onion growing, being exceeded only by New York and 

 California. As is always the case, the smaller crop is bringing 

 a larger price, 99 cents a bushel, against 60 cents last year. 



The cranberry crop was also reduced in size, the average 

 yield per acre falling from 45 to 28 barrels, and according to the 

 government report the total yield has fallen off one-third from 

 last year. Prices have ruled high, about double that of last 

 year. 



Strawberries, while promising to be a most satisfactory crop 

 early in the season, were greatly injured in some sections by 

 late frosts and in others by excessive rains early in July, and, 

 consequently, the total income received was reduced about 

 50 per cent from last year. Other small fruits were badly 



