Ceop Eeport for the Month of June, 1904. 



Office of State Board of Agricclture, 

 Boston, Mass., July 1, 1904. 



Bulletin No. 2, Crop Report for the month of June, is 

 presented herewith. At the close of this bulletin is an 

 article on " The growing of mushrooms," by Dr. George E. 

 Stone, professor of botany at the Massachusetts Agricul- 

 tural College. This is a subject in regard to which Ave have 

 had many inquiries, and Professor Stone's article is designed 

 to meet the general desire which evidently exists for informa- 

 tion in regard to mushrooms. It is illustrated with cuts 

 showing the structure of the mushroom, the spawn and the 

 kinds of houses in use for their culture. The article is 

 especially commendable, in that it does not hold out too 

 bright prospects, but points out the difficulties in the way 

 of success, as well as describes the methods to be emploj^ed. 



Progress of the Season. 



Preliminary returns to the Chief of the Bureau of Sta- 

 tistics of the United States Department of Agriculture (Crop 

 Reporter for June, 1904) on the acreage of spring wheat 

 sown indicate an area of about 17,140,800 acres, a decrease 

 of IK), 100 acres, or .7 per cent, from the revised estimate 

 of the acreage sown last year. The average condition of 

 spring wheat June 1 was 93.4, as compared with 95.9 at the 

 corresponding date last year, 95.4 on June 1, 1902, and a 

 ten-year average of 93.8. The average condition of winter 

 wheat was 77.7, as compared with 76.5 on May 1, 82.2 on 

 June 1, 1903, 76.1 at the corresponding date in 1902, and 

 a ten-year average of 79.8. 



The total reported area in oats is about 27,646,000 acres, 

 a reduction of 86,300 acres, or .3 per cent from the area 

 sown last year. The average condition of oats on June 1 



