Crop Eepoet por the Month of May, 1896. 



Office of State Board of Agriculture, 



Boston, Mass., June 1, 1896. 



In Bulletin No.. 1, Crop Report for the month of May, we 

 present the first of our series of monthly crop bulletins foi 

 the current year. These bulletins will not vary much in 

 general style and plan from those of preceding seasons, and 

 we shall endeavor to issue them as near the close of the 

 month as possible. Although we do not this year assist 

 financially in the issuance of the weekly crop bulletins of the 

 Weather Bureau, the section director, Mr. J. Warren Smith, 

 has kindly arranged for the sending of them to all those on 

 our mailing list. The first number was issued under date 

 of April 28. As heretofore, a short article by one of the 

 specialists of the Board of Agriculture will be included in 

 each issue. This bulletin contains a report of the meetings 

 of the Massachusetts Fruit Growers' Association, by the 

 botanist and pomologist of this Board, who is also secretary 

 of the association. 



Report on Farm Animals. 



[Report No. 123, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Division of Statistics.] 



There is a decided falling off in the number of horses 

 throughout the interior, on the Pacific slope, in parts of the 

 Rocky Mountain and upper Missouri regions, and a slight 

 decrease in the Atlantic States ; elsewhere there is a pre- 

 vailinjj increase. The total fallin"; off in number amounts 

 to 769,261, or 4.8 per cent. The decline in New York, 

 New Jersey and Pennsylvania is attributed to the intro- 

 duction of electric and cable cars and to the increased use 

 of the bicycle. The average price has fallen from $36.29 

 in 1895 to $33.07, or a decrease of $3.22. The only fairly 

 acceptable figures anywhere commanded are for good road- 



