18 



Dudley (J. J. Gilles). — Corn has made a rank growth, but is 

 not earing very well. Rowen was never more promising. Potatoes 

 are rotting badly. No peaches or apples, pears a fair crop. 

 Pasturage is in excellent condition. Oats and barley both made 

 heavy yields. From 25 to 100 hens are kept by individual farmers, 

 and no special effort is made to obtain more than average results. 



Rutland (L. S. Dudley). — Indian corn is rather backward. 

 Fields that were cut early will be heavy with rowen. Potatoes, 

 unless early, seem to be small and few in the hill. Pasturage is 

 in good condition. Owing to wet weather, oats did not grow as 

 ■well as last year. Few pay much attention to poultry. 



Ilubbardston (C. C. Colby). — Indian corn is very backward 

 and much below the average Eowen is the largest crop for years. 

 Potatoes are small and many farmers report that they are rotting 

 badly. Not many apples, but an abundant crop of pears and 

 grapes. Pasturage is in excellent condition. Oats and barley 

 made large crops, but the rains lodged them badly and most of 

 them were harvested in poor condition. Very little attention is paid 

 to poultry. 



Templeton (Lucien Gove). — As a whole, the condition of the 

 corn crop is the poorest for many years. Rowen is better than for 

 several years. Apples less than half a crop, pears fair, peaches 

 rotting on trees, thus reducing the crop, grapes below average. 

 Pastures are in very good condition for the season of the year. 

 Oats and barley are equal to last season's crop for forage, but the 

 grain is deficient, as it did not fill out plump. Poultry is a side 

 industry, though on the increase ; perhaps the income derived from 

 it is 25 per cent that from the dairy. 



Royalstoyi (C. A. Stimson). — Indian corn is very late and some 

 of it will have to be put into the silo. Rowen is a larger crop than 

 for years. Potatoes are about one-third of a crop ; blight has 

 appeared, but there is little rot. No winter apples to speak of, 

 pears good, also cranberries. Pastures are in the best condition 

 for years. Oats and barley are larger crops than last year. Only 

 small flocks of poultry are kept in this vicinity. 



Fitchburg (Jabez Fisher). — Most corn shows poor condition, 

 though some fields look well. Rowen is a good crop where the 

 first crop was cut seasonably. Blight is quite prevalent on pota- 

 toes, with some rot ; prospect poor. Apples very poor, pears 

 unusually good, peaches and grapes good ; but these are, together 

 with the plums, showing considerable rot. Pasturage is in very 

 good condition. In many cases poultry gives more profit than 

 dairying, and probably a higher per cent is generally realized on 

 the capital invested. 



