10 DEPART.AIEXT OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



methods of raising crops, is tending to reduce the cost of pro- 

 duction and enabhng these farmers to meet the big demands 

 of a valuable near-by market. 



The activities of the State Department of Agriculture in its 

 various branches have played a. large part in this rejuvenation 

 of Massachusetts agriculture. The Division of Markets is 

 pointing out methods of more economical marketing, and 

 through its dail}^ and weekly market reports is keeping growers, 

 market men and consumers in close and constant touch with 

 market conditions and market prices. The Division of Fairs is 

 assisting the various fair associations and granges of the State 

 to bring about stimulating competition, all of which tends to 

 improve the quality of agricultural practice and to assist in its 

 expansion. The soil surveys are being continued to give the 

 farmers more information as to the physical and chemical value 

 of the soils of the State and their proper treatment. Various 

 lands now unused, principally because of their wetness, are 

 being drained or otherwise modified to bring them into com- 

 mercial use. There are many thousands of acres of such land 

 in the Commonwealth which if brought into cultivation would 

 supply food for many hundreds of thousands of our population. 



The work with insects has been carried forward with vigor, 

 and the spread of the insects now especially troublesome, such 

 as the corn borer, has been confined to a small additional area, 

 where spread was unavoidable. The great interest in birds in 

 the State, due principally to the work of this Department, has 

 allowed the valuable birds to be preserved and cared for in 

 greater numbers so that they could do their share in controlling 

 insect pests. The average person has little idea of the tre- 

 mendous benefit to agriculture through the control of insects 

 by many of our birds. 



The study of agricultural problems, not only by farmers but 

 by many persons living in cities, is also evidenced by the 

 tremendous demand for bulletins and other kinds of agricul- 

 tural information. We have been very careful to distribute 

 bulletins only to persons who seem likely to make the very 

 best use of them. 



One of the outstanding contributions of the year has been an 

 investigation on the part of two members of the faculty of the 



