REPORT OF THE DELEGATE TO THE STATE BOARD 

 OF AGRICULTURE FOR THE YEAR 1912. 



By Wilfrid Wheeler, Delegate. 



The season of 1912 was a fairly successful one for the farmers 

 of Massachusetts, and particularly so early in the season. Market 

 garden crops were good and sold well until the fall when there was a 

 decided drop in lettuce and other greenhouse crops. 



Weather conditions were on the whole favorable with the excep- 

 tion of June and July when we had about five weeks of very dry 

 weather, after which, however, conditions were more normal and 

 crops and prices were decidedly better. While the whole season 

 was cold, yet there were no serious frosts late in the spring, and we 

 had a very long open fall which was conducive to the development 

 of many crops. 



The work of the Board for the past year has been along many 

 lines. Institutes have been held as usual and with an increase of 

 attendance, especially at the fruit and dairy institutes, the whole 

 averaging over 118. 



The Board has worked for better roads in the small towns of the 

 state, has advocated better methods in dairying and sheep farm- 

 ing, and has also advocated the reclamation of wet and waste lands 

 of which there are over 100,000 acres in the state. 



A great deal of legislation was advocated, especially along dairy- 

 ing lines. A bill calling for the appropriation of S15,000 for the 

 encouragement of dairying was proposed, and while this did not 

 become a law, yet the discussion it brought out has resulted in many 

 reforms in dairying, and it is hoped that the bill will go through 

 this year. $2000.00 was appropriated for use by the Board in 

 special shows, and there was also an appropriation of $2000.00 

 made for a special exhibit to be held in New York. 



277 



