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Thursday, December 5. 

 10 A.M. — Lecture : " Recent Advancement in Market Gardening," 

 by Prof. R. L. Watts, professor of horticulture, 

 Pennsylvania State College, State College, Pa. 



Crops of the Year. 

 The month of May opened with several days of seasonable 

 temperature which was followed by a short cool spell, and the 

 rest of the month was about the average, the mean tempera- 

 ture being slightly higher than the average for the month. 

 The rainfall was fairly well distributed through the month 

 and amounts ranged from average up to two inches above. 

 Generally speaking, the weather was not very favorable for 

 planting operations, and at the close of the month the season 

 was from ten days to two weeks late. The excess of rain 

 filled the ground with water to such an extent that it was 

 impossible to plow much of the land. This rain, on the other 

 hand, was exceedingly beneficial to mowings and pastures, 

 and following the severe drought of the past two seasons 

 greatly benefited the dried-up sward. Fall seeding wintered 

 fairly well, although the winter was a very severe one. The 

 fruit bloom was reported, generally, about normal, although 

 somewhat late, with the exception of peaches, which were 

 somewhat badly winter-killed. There was very little frost 

 injury. The cold wet weather was an excellent check to 

 the activity of insect pests, and very little damage was re- 

 ported for the month of May, most of this, however, being 

 done by the tent caterpillar. Planting was very much be- 

 hind, owing to the backward season and scarcity of help, and 

 great fear was felt that if the seeds were put in the ground 

 they would rot before germinating. On high ordinarily dry 

 land germination was excellent. Farm help appeared to be 

 very scarce, and the percentage of good help small ; the aver- 

 age pay with board \vas estimated to be from $25 to $30 per 

 month. Replies to the query as to pheasant damage gave 

 striking evidence of the danger of allowing this bird to be- 

 come too plentiful, as in sections where this has happened 

 great damage to crops has resulted. 



