-6- 



The Massachusetts Farm Situat ion - Prices for farm products began to decline 

 earlier and have dropped farther than prices for most other commodities. The 

 peak in fana prices in Massachusetts was in June 1948, By February 1949, prices 

 received by farmers have dropped about 12,5 percent. 



Prices paid by farmers - including interest and taxes, reached a peak in 

 January 1948, They changed little during the first nine months of the year and 

 have since dropped only about 2 percent. 



This does not me an that farmers are headed for a depression. It is more likely 

 to mean that the~"'bloom is off the boom," 



YiThat to do about it 



1, Plan conservatively with emphasis on increased efficiency, 



2, Feed liberally to take advantage of favorable feeding rations, 



3, Fertilize adequately — fertilizer and lime are still among the best 

 buys, 



4, Buy only machinery which will reduce costs or increase output, 



5, Pay debts — a dollar is still worth a dollar when paying debts, 



— Roy E, Moser 



POMPS FOR THE FRUIT GROTrER 



Interest in pond construction in this state has steadily increased since the 

 establishment of the first soil conservation districts. This was a little sur- 

 prising since Massachusetts' like other New England States is comparatively well 

 supplied with natural lakes, ponds, streams, and springs. Moreover, the annual 

 rainfall is generous and generally well distributed, although periods of drought 

 within the grov/ing season are not uncommon. Fruit grov/ers have a particular 

 interest in farm ponds as a source of water for spraying and in some cases for 

 irrigation. 



The requests which have come to districts for assistance are evidence that 

 farmers need more ponds than nature provided. Two hundred and sixty-two farm 

 ponds have been planned, and of these, 69 have been constructed. Pond construc- 

 tion is becoming a major district activity. Technicians of the Soil Conserva- 

 tion Service assist' the farmer in picking a suitable site, and Service engineers 

 design the pond, all of which may require considerable tirae. The farmer pays the 

 cost of construction. 



Enough data on the construction of ponds in this state have now been 

 accumulated to permit the drawing of the follov;ing, in some cases tentative, 

 conclusions: (l) Per unit of storage capacity, the dugout type of pond is cheaper 

 than the breastwork or dam type, (2) Dugout ponds can be built more cheaply with 

 a heavy bulldozer than with a dragline. Dragline costs approximate those with 

 the lighter bulldozers, Tifhen a dragline is used for excavation it is still 



