25 



BRISTOL COUNTY. 



Attleborovgh (Isaac Alger). — The outlook this season is 

 much better than last. Grass and strawberries are looking finely. 

 There is nothing lilve a home and family to make a hired man 

 what he should be. What can you expect of a man who is hired 

 for three or four months ? He knows that he is hired to bridge 

 over some hard job, and therefore has no interest in the work. 

 Let those men who are always complaining about their help build 

 a cottage house, put a young man and his wife into it, hire him 

 by the year and treat him kindly, and you will not hear much 

 more from them about poor help. 



Mansfield (D. E. Harding). — Farm help is scarce, at about 

 $20 per month. The cranberry growers would undoubtedly be 

 benefited by daily weather forecasts and frost warnings. Our hay 

 crop looks unusually well, but other crops have not come forward 

 enough so that it is safe to predict what they will be. 



Raynham (N. W. Shaw). — Farmers would be most decidedly 

 benefited if the weather forecasts and frost warnings could be 

 received twelve to twenty-four hours in advance. The morning 

 paper is not often read until night ; what the next day will be is 

 v/hat is wanted. We have had but little warm weather. The 

 ground being so cold, seeds do not come up well, and those that 

 do make little progress. 



Dighton (A. W. Paul). — There are very few tent caterpillars. 

 An insect new to me has appeai*ed on our strawberries. It looks 

 somewhat like the spindle worm on corn, and bores downward 

 in the crown of the plant, killing the fruit-stalk. On one acre 

 of mine there are thousands upon thousands, and I fear the 

 result. 



Somerset (Joseph Gibbs) . — The season is very backward, as 

 compared with last. Much early planted seed has failed to 

 germinate. Good help getting Si. 50 per day or $25 per month. 

 Most of the farmers do not place much confidence in the daily 

 weather reports. They would be benefited if the reports could be 

 relied upon, but they are so incorrect that they are entirely 

 useless. 



Dartmouth (L. T. Davis). — Should think the farmers might be 

 benefited by weather forecasts and frost warnings if they were 

 carried far enough into the country towns. The month of May 

 has been very wet, and has delayed planting and injured some 

 pieces of early planted crops. Grass is looking well and making 

 good growth. Fruit blossomed fairly. 



