Crop Eeport for the Month of October, 1912. 



OrncE OF State Board of Aobicultuiu:, 

 Boston, Mass., Nov. 1, 1912. 



With this issue, volume 25 of the Massachusetts Crop Ee- 

 port is completed. In addition to the special letter to our 

 crop correspondents, which was sent out with the blanks for 

 the last report, we would here again express our hearty appre- 

 ciation of their services, which, unremunerated, but prompt 

 and regular, have made the publication of the Crop Eeport 

 possible. Their services are appreciated by ourselves and 

 by our readers, and any personal favor which at any time 

 may come within our province we shall take pleasure in 

 gTanting. 



The special articles printed this year have been: Bulletin 

 IsTo. 1, '' Pork making for Massachusetts farmers," by Dr. 

 George M. Twitchell ; Bulletin No. 2, " Irrigation in Massa- 

 chusetts," by Henry M. Howard ; Bulletin No. 3, " Silos and 

 silage," by H. O. Daniels; Bulletin No. 4, "Ducks and 

 geese," by John H. Eobinson ; Bulletin No. 5, " Pruning the 

 apple tree," by Dr. C. D. Jarvis. The article on pruning 

 is intended to supplement our Bulletin No. 2 on " Apple 

 growing," published in May, 1912, which is a fairly com- 

 plete treatise of nearly all phases of the industry. All of the 

 above bulletins are still available and may be had by apply- 

 ing to this office. 



In this issue we print an article, " Some suggestions on 

 barn building," by Prof. J. A. Foord, of the Massachusetts 

 Agricultural College. In remodeling the old barn, or plan- 

 ning a new structure, many times the farmer is at a loss just 

 how to get the best results. We feel that this article, with its 

 accompanying illustrations, will be of great value when an 

 undertaking of this nature is contemplated. The labor prob- 

 lem is a large one, and the structure which reduces the amount 

 of necessary labor to a minimum is the most economical and 

 practical for the dairy farmer and for the general farmer as 



