No. 4.] REPORT OF SECRETARY. ix 



severely injured for the silo. Pastures suffered severely from 

 the drought, and feeding at the barn began at an unusually 

 early date. The rains came too late to cause much feed to 

 start in the pastures, and the only effect was to put them in 

 good condition for another season. These factors, combined 

 with the short hay crop and the high prices of grain and hay, 

 have made the season far from profitable for all except the most 

 careful and scientific dairymen, and this in spite of prices which 

 averaged well for the year. The milk contractors made a 

 drastic cut in prices for milk in the early part of the season, so 

 that many dairymen sold or dried off their cows, thus reducing 

 the amount of milk produced, and, with the effects of the 

 drought, compelling a substantial increase later in the season. 

 This experience should show those engaged in handling milk 

 that it is not to their advantage to force the price of milk below 

 the point of reasonable profit to the farmer. Cows were gen- 

 erally lower in price at the farm,' though there was not a cor- 

 responding drop in prices at points where milch cows were 

 offered for sale to those farmers who rely on purchase to supply 

 their herds. 



Apples were a light crop in most sections, but unusually fair 

 and free from blemishes, due largely to the increased care 

 given them in the way of spraying, fertilization, cultivation 

 and pruning. The increase in the amount of spraying done in 

 the State is notable, there being many sections where the farmer 

 who does not spray is the exception, whereas a few years ago 

 the reverse was the case. Many young orchards have been 

 set out, either independently or with older orchards, and with 

 proper care there is no better investment at present. In fact it 

 is my opinion that the opportunity offered by apple raising is 

 greater than that in any other line of agriculture and greater 

 than that in almost any line of manufacturing. 



Market gardeners in general did very well during the year, 

 for the increased price received for most crops made up for the 

 shortage in yield. Those market gardeners who practised some 

 system of overhead irrigation were especially successful, keep- 

 ing their yields well up to the normal, and this line of work is 

 increasing with every year. Onions were a light crop, but 

 brought good prices, though hardly high enough to offset the 



