No. 4.] MASSACHUSETTS CROPS. xxxiii 



supply of dairy products was fully up to the demand, with 

 prices for milk lower than last year in the metropolitati 

 district. Where farmers had cows for sale the prices were 

 reported as low, while in eastern sections they were unani- 

 mously said to be higher than ever before. Pasturage suf- 

 fered from drought in May, but responded to the rains, and 

 was quite good at the close of the month. Strawberries were 

 a light crop, with good prices. Cm-rants were light, but 

 raspberries and blackberries promised well. Apples indi- 

 cated a fair crop. Peaches promised a larger crop than for 

 some years. Cherries were generally an excellent crop. 

 Spraying is receiving more attention each year. 



In July there were few complaints of insect damage. The 

 hot weather brought corn forward rapidly, and in western 

 sections it was well up to the average, but suffered from 

 drought in central and eastern sections. The hay crop was 

 very light, of good equality, but with little clover. The pros- 

 pect for the second crop was poor, owing to drought and hot 

 weather. Forage crops germinated poorly and in some cases 

 were not sown to as great an extent as usual, owing to the 

 dry and baked condition of the ground. Market-garden crops 

 suffered severely from drought, and were short in almost all 

 cases, with prices correspondingly high; later crops looked 

 well, though needing rain. Early potatoes were a very light 

 crop, while the later ones looked well. There was an unusually 

 heavy crop of fruit, apples especially. Pears promised fairly 

 well, also plums. Peaches seemed a better crop than usual. 

 Grapes promised a good yield. Cranberries felt the effects of 

 drought, and promised less than an average crop. Pastures 

 were in fairly good condition in western sections, not so good 

 in Worcester County and very poor in eastern sections. Rye 

 was a fair crop and oats a three-fourths crop. Oats did fairly 

 well as a forage crop. Barley is not grown except as a late 

 forage crop. Thirty-five of 117 correspondents reported some 

 orchard planting, ranging from 2 acres to 2,500 trees. 



Corn came forward very rapidly with the warm weather 

 and Hght showers of August, and promised a full normal crop. 

 The rowen crop promised to be very light in all sections, 

 with practically none in eastern districts, owing to severe 



