THE FIFTY-FIRST ANNUAL REPOET 



OF THK 



SECRETARY 



OP THE 



State Boaed of Ageicultuee. 



To the Se7iate and House of Bepresentatives of the Commonwealth of 



Massachusetts. 



Ill presenting the fifty-first annual report of the State 

 Board of Agriculture, it seems proper that I should call 

 attention to the fact that I ha,ve been its secretary during 

 but six months of the year just closed. The duty therefore 

 devolved upon me of completing the work of the year on 

 the lines already laid out by the Board. I feel it but right 

 to say that I found a most excellent system in force, the 

 Board efficiently organized for carrying out, through its 

 committees, the various lines of work committed to its 

 charge, and all branches of the work of the office were 

 turned over in excellent condition by my predecessor. 



The year 1903 has been one of varied results to Massa- 

 chusetts farmers, according to the lines of agriculture they 

 were particularly engaged in. The frosts of early spring, 

 followed by severe drought, and later by exceptionally cool 

 weather during the summer months, combined to retard the 

 growth of vegetation to such an extent that almost all farm 

 crops were below the average in yield, and some were almost 

 complete failures. Market gardeners had a most successful 

 season, because of high prices received ; but fruit growers 

 and general farmers had but poor success. Dairy products 

 generally sold well, and the year would show a profit for 

 dairymen if it were not for the nearly complete failure of 

 the corn crop, both for grain and ensilage. This makes it 

 difficult to say, so dependent are many of our dairymen 



