10 



fair to good bloom. Cherries and plums made a full bloom, 

 but there are some complaints that the pear bloom was 

 light. Small fruits winter-killed in many sections, but 

 where they came through the winter well made a full bloom. 

 Wild berries also blossomed well. Up to time of going to 

 press there was al^solutely no damage from spring frosts, 

 and no prospect of future injury from that source. 



Insects. 

 At the time of making returns but few insects had ap- 

 peared, and they were doing very little damage. Tent 

 caterpillars were less prevalent than usual, but still the 

 insect most commonly reported. Very few correspondents 

 reported the potato bug as having appeared at time of mak- 

 ing returns. Other insects mentioned are canker worms, 

 currant worms, cut worms, the horn Ay, the elm-leaf lieetle 

 and the San Jose scale. 



Spraying. 



Those farmers who make fruit raising a specialty generally 

 spray their trees, and find the practice profitable. Other 

 farmers are probably deterred from spraying in a large 

 measure by the first cost of the necessary outfit, though an 

 increasing number adopt the practice from j^ear to year. 

 This being the bearing year for apples, there should be more 

 spraying by farmers than for a number of years past. 



Farm Help and Wages. 

 Farm help appears to be fairly plentj^ and most of it is 

 fairly good, although the supply of first-class help is, as 

 always, limited. The ideal man, like the ideal master, is 

 not often found. Twenty dollars per month with board 

 is apparently a fair average of the wages paid, and |35 per 

 month without board, though little help is employed in this 

 way. For work by the day, $1.50 per day seems to be the 

 price commonly paid, and even higher in some sections. 



Acreage of Farm Crops. 

 A slight increase in the acreage of potatoes is indicated 

 l)y the returns; otherwise, the acreage of the various farm 

 crops raised will not vary much from former years. 



