xvi BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



ing the above recommendation has been prepared, and will 

 be presented to the Legislature this year. 



The work of the joint committee so far has consisted in 

 looking" over several tracts of land with a view to their de- 

 velopment, but in most cases the expense would have ex- 

 ceeded the funds available. A survey has now been made 

 of one large tract, and if reports are favorable, work will 

 soon be begun on this place. 



Dairying. 

 The rapid decrease of dairy animals in our State forcibly 

 calls to our attention the unsatisfactory condition of the 

 dairy industry, though to fully discuss the question would 

 occupy more time and space than we can allow in such a 

 report as this. Certainly one factor stands out prominently 

 in the whole question, and that is that the farmer is not 

 getting enough for hjs milk to return him a fair wage ; and 

 how can he be reasonably expected to continue in a business 

 which brings no adequate return? The greatest decrease 

 in the dairy business is in sections where farmers are ship- 

 ping milk to large city contractors, principally Boston, 

 while the smaller cities, such as Springfield, Brockton, etc., 

 which are supplied from near by, have a fair number of 

 prosperous and satisfied dairy farmers in their environs, 

 although many of these towns are now bringing a good deal 

 of milk from a distance, and conditions are not entirely satis- 

 factory. The continued agitation of the milk question in 

 the Legislature, together with the low price received by the 

 farmers for milk, has had a gi'cat tendency to reduce the 

 number of dairy animals kept. There is in fact at present 

 a serious shortage of dairy cows, not only in this State but 

 in all the eastern States, as is indicated by the fact that only 

 recently carloads of dairy cows have been shipped from 

 Brighton to ISTew York farms. There would seem, in view 

 of this shortage and the consequent high price of cows, to 

 be a splendid opportunity for our farmers in more remote 

 sections, where pasturage is cheap, to raise dairy animals, 

 selling either butter or cream and using the skim milk or 

 buttermilk for growing young stock. We are fast approach- 



