16 



killed somewhat. Apple bloom about 75 per cent ; pears, plums 

 and small fruits full. Tent caterpillars are more plenty than usual. 

 Spraying is not practised to any extent in this vicinity. Farm 

 help is scarce. Wages average $20 per month with board, and 

 $1.25 to $1.50 per day without board. There is no marked change 

 in the acreage of farm crops. No rain of any amount has fallen 

 since April 15. 



Russell (E. D. Parks). — The season is about two weeks in ad- 

 vance of the normal. The prospects are that there will be no feed 

 in pastures, as they are drying up from lack of rain. There was 

 a very full fruit bloom, and the frost did not injure it. Tent 

 caterpillars are doing some damage. Spraying is but little prac- 

 tised, but is increasing. Farm help is scarce, and not over one- 

 fourth of it is good help. Wages average $1 per day with board, 

 and $1.50 per day without board. We have had no rain for six 

 weeks or more. 



Westjield (C. F. Fowler). — The season is earlier than usual, 

 but the dry weather of the past two weeks has checked plant 

 growth. Pastures are looking poorly, and grass is drying very 

 badly ; fall seeding stands well, but is small. Fruit, with the ex- 

 ception of peaches, bloomed very full, but suffered from frosts. 

 Tent caterpillars are more plentiful than usual. Spraying is not 

 practised much in this section. Help is scarce. Wages average 

 from $20 to $25 per month with board, and $1.50 per day without 

 board. There is a slight decrease in the acreage of tobacco. 



West Springfield (J. N. Bagg). — We are suffering from an 

 unprecedented drought. Grass is light and fall seeding fair. The 

 fruit bloom was inferior. Tent caterpillars are doing some dam- 

 age. Very little spraying is done. Farm help is scarce. Wages 

 average $16 per month with board, and $25 per month without 

 board. Hundreds of bushels of onions have been plowed in in 

 this vicinity. 



East Longmeadow (J. L. Davis). — The season was cold and 

 backward at first, and is now very dry. Pastures and mowings 

 are in the poorest condition ever seen. Fi'ost hurt the peach 

 bloom, but other fruits made a full bloom. About one in twenty 

 of our people spray. Farm help was never so scarce, and conse- 

 quently the quality is of the poorest. Wages average $20 per 

 month with board, and $1.50 per day without board. There will 

 be a large amount of oats, Hungarian grass, millet and fodder 

 corn sowed. 



Wilbraham (E. C. Clark). — The season is about a normal 

 one as to forwardness. Pastures and mowings are drying up ; 



