50 



Hampshire County, 



Prescott (E. T. Wheeler). — Frost damaged fruits as follows: 

 apples and pears, 25; plums, 75; small fruits, 50. One hundred per 

 cent of the blossoms on tree fruits have set, and there has been a 

 25 per cent drop. Fruit crop prospect: apple, 75; pear, 75; plum, 

 25; currant, 100; blaekbeiTy, 100; blueberry, 25. Grass is removed 

 from orchards; legumes are not planted, grass sod being used for 

 cover crops. The codling moth is doing the most damage ; fire blight 

 has not appeared in orchards. Strawberries not raised in this vicin- 

 ity. Summer spraying is not being practiced. 



South Amherst (W. H. Atkins). — Pears and peaches on high 

 grounds were not damaged by frosts; apples suffered a 50 per cent 

 damage; strawberries, 25. Fruit crop prospect: apple, 25; pear, 

 100; peach, 100. Orchards are cultivated either entirely or in strips. 

 Fifty per cent of the cover crops planted are legumes; weeds and 

 gi-asses are also used. San Jose scale is doing the most damage; no 

 fire blight has appeared. Twenty-five per cent of the strawberry 

 crop was damaged by frost ; prices have been satisfactory. Spraying 

 is not being practiced. 



Cummington (C. M. Cudworth). — Frost damaged fruits as fol- 

 lows: apples, more than 50; peaches, 75; strawberries were very 

 badly damaged, and a few plums suffered. Very few apple blos- 

 soms set, and there was not moi'e than the usual drop. Fi-uit crop 

 prospect: apple, 50; raspbeiry, 100; blackberry, 100; blueberry, 

 100; pears and currants j^romise an average crop; peaches a light 

 crop. In most cases grass is cut and removed from orchards; very 

 few legumes are planted, and in most cases crops stand in sod. 

 Caterpillars and canker worms are doing the most damage; some 

 fire blight has appeared in most all orchards. The crop of wild 

 berries was ruined by frosts. Strawberries are selling a little higher 

 than in 1912. There have been so many hard frosts this spring that 

 it is difficult to give dates of most destructive. 



Hampden County. 



West Springfield (Ethan Brooks). — No noticeable damage by 

 frosts. Fifty per cent of tree fruit blossoms have set, and there 

 has been no more than the usual drop. Fruit crop prospect: apple, 

 50; peach, 80; cherry, 50; currant, 80; raspberry, 100. In old 

 orchards grass is left on the ground; clean culture is practiced in 

 young orchards; legumes and rye are used as cover crops, being 

 turned under when green. San Jose scale is causing the most 

 serious injury; fire blight has not appeared. Early strawberry 

 blossoms were cut by frosts, and in near-by districts the loss was 

 serious on general crops; prices have been satisfactory. Spraying 



