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blossomed full, but some have suffered from frosts. Teut cater- 

 pillars are doing some damage. Very little spraying is done. 

 Farm help is very scarce, and hardly any of it good help. Wages 

 average $25 per month with board, and $1.50 per day without 

 board. More silos are being put in, and consequently the acreage 

 of corn increased. 



Hampden (John N. Isham). — The season is dry and cold, 

 with light frosts. Pastures are starting slowly, and mowings show 

 the effects of the hard winter. Fall seeding wintered well. Win- 

 ter apples made a light bloom ; pears and peaches quite full ; plums 

 light. Currant worms arc doing some damage. Spraying is very 

 little practised, but is on the increase. Wages average $20 per 

 month with board, and $25 to $30 per month without board. There 

 is more corn put in for the silo and less for grain than formerly. 



Mohson (F. D. Rogers). — Fruits are a week ahead of the nor- 

 mal, but grass is backward. Pastures are very poor ; mowings in 

 good condition, but late; fall seeding wintered well. There was 

 a good bloom of all fruits except some varieties of apples ; no 

 damage from frost. Cut worms are worse than usual ; lent 

 caterpillars not as plenty as usual. Very little spraying is done 

 here. There is about enough farm help to supply the demand, 

 and it averages fairly well. Wages average $20 per month 

 with board, and $1.50 per day or $30 per month, with tenement 

 and other privileges, without board. There is no change in the 

 acreage of farm crops. 



Holland (Francis Wight). — The season is cold and backward. 

 Pastures and mowings are looking fairly well ; fall seeding wintered 

 well. The fruit bloom is not up to the average of former years, 

 but has not suffered from frosts. Insects have not appeared to 

 any extent. Spraying is not practised much about here. Farm 

 help is scarce, and hard to get. Wages average $1 per day with 

 board, and $1.50 per day without board. There will be about the 

 usual acreage of farm crops. 



WORCESTER COUNTY. 



North Brookfield (John H. Lane). — The season is late and 

 cold, and was dry until the last week. Pastures arc backward, 

 but are coming on. Apples made a fair bloom ; pears small ; 

 peaches good; no harm from frosts. Tent caterpillars are doing 

 some damage. Very little spraying-is done here. Help is scarce, 

 and half of it good help. Wages range from $15 to $20 per 

 month with board, and average $1.50 per day without board. 

 There is no marked change in the acreage of farm crops, but I 

 lind many putting in potatoes. 



