24 



Manchester (Johk Baker). — The season is a little in advance 

 of the normal. Pastures and mowings promise well and fall seed- 

 ing wintered well. Apples had a light bloom and pears and 

 peaches a good one. Tent caterpillars and canker worms are 

 doing some damage. Spraying is little practised, but is on the 

 increase. Help is plenty and half is good help. "Wages are $20 

 to $25 per month with board and $1.75 to $2.00 per day without. 

 Not much change in the acreage of the usual farm crops. 



NORFOLK COUNTY. 



Dedham (A. W. Cheever) . — The season is fully up to the 

 average. Pastures and mowings show a promising outlook and 

 fall seeding wintered well. Pears and plums made a full bloom ; 

 apples light, with scattering trees in full bloom. Canker worms 

 and cut worms are doing some damage. Spraying is practised to 

 a very limited extent. Good farm help is never plenty. Wages 

 are about $2 per day without board. No marked changes in the 

 acreage of the usual farm crops. 



Norwood (F. A. Fales). — The season is ten days late. 

 Pastures are good and mowings never better ; one-third of the fall 

 seeding poor. The fruit bloom is about half that of 1896. Cur- 

 rant worms are doing some damage. Spraying is very little prac- 

 tised and is not increasing. Wages are $18 to $20 per month 

 with board and $1.75 per day without. No changes in the acre- 

 age of farm crops. 



Canton (B. R. Doody). — The present season is a fair one. 

 Pastures and mowings promise well and fall seeding wintered well. 

 The fruit bloom compares very well with that of former years. 

 Cut worms and potato bugs are doing some damage. Spraying is 

 very little practised and is not increasing. Farm help is plenty, 

 but most of it is poor. There are no changes in the acreage of 

 farm crops and no new agricultural enterprises. 



Norfolk (G. E. Holbrook). — The season seems to be about 

 seven days earlier than usual. Pastures and mowings promise 

 well and fall seeding looks well. Apples made a better bloom 

 than was expected and pears and small fruits a full bloom. Very 

 little if any spraying is done. Farm help is scarce and about 

 half of it is no good. Wages are from $16 to $20 per month with 

 board and $30 to $40 without. Farmers seem to be on a still 

 hunt for some money crop to raise, but cannot seem to find it. 



Foxboroiigh (H. H. Fenton) . — The season has been cold so 

 far, with more than the usual amount of rain. Grass looks well 

 everywhere ; perhaps 20 per cent of the fall seeding wintered 



