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ings offer a very discouraging prospect. The bloom on cherry and 

 pear trees was killed by frost, and a large percentage of apple and 

 plum trees blossomed only on the south side. Tent caterpillars 

 are our most plentiful insect. Spraying is not practised outside 

 of village lots, and is not increasing. Farm help is very scarce. 

 Wages average $18 to $20 per month with board, and $1.50 per 

 day without board. More forage crops than ordinarily have been 

 put in. 



Southampton (C. B. Lyman). — The season promised well, but 

 want of rain is now a serious drawback. Pastures and mowings 

 are in poor condition ; fall seeding wintered well. The fruit bloom 

 was full for an odd year ; pears, peaches and plums were killed by 

 frost. Tent caterpillars are doing some damage. Not much spray- 

 ing is done here. Farm help is scarce, and about one-fourth of it 

 good help. Wages average $19 to $22 per month with board, and 

 $1.50 per day without board. No rain for four weeks. 



Chesterfield (Horatio Bisbee). — The season is a poor one, 

 owing to drought. Pastures and mowings are in poor condition ; 

 fall seeding wintered well. There was a fair fruit bloom. Tent 

 caterpillars are doing some damage. Spraying is not practised at 

 all. Farm help grows scarcer and poorer each year. Wages 

 average from $18 to $22 per month with board, and from $1.25 to 

 $1.50 per day without board. 



Williamsburg (F. C. Richards). — The season is earlier than 

 usual, but is very dry. Pastures and mowings started well, but 

 are badly affected by drought. Medium bloom of apples, plums 

 and cherries ; heavy bloom of pears ; no peaches. Spraying is 

 hardly practised at all, and is not increasing. Farm help, both 

 good and poor, is very scarce. Wages average $18 to $20 per 

 month with board, and from $30 to $35 per month without board. 



Cummington (S. W. Clark) . — The season is very dry, with no 

 rain for five weeks, and very little cloudy weather. Grass is 

 growing very thin ; fall seeding wintered well. Fruit bloom nor- 

 mal, with no damage from frost. Tent caterpillars are doing some 

 damage. Spraying is very little practised, not as much as a few 

 years ago. Farm help is rather scarce, mostly Polish, and pretty 

 good. Wages average $20 per month with board, and $1.25 to 

 $1.50 per day without board. More corn than usual is being put 

 in for the silo. 



HAMPDEN COUNTY. 



Tolland (E. M. Moore). — The season opened two weeks earlier 

 than usual, but owing to drought, crops are about normal. Pas- 

 tures and mowings are pretty well dried up ; fall seeding winter- 



