9 



4. What insects appear to be doing the most damage in 

 your locality ? 



5. How is planting progressing? 



6. Is farm help scarce or plenty; and what proportion 

 can be called good help? 



7. What are the average wages paid farm help in your 

 vicinity, with board? Without board ? 



8. Will there be any marked changes in the acreage of 

 the usual farm crops, particularly corn and potatoes, and do 

 you note any new enterprises in the line of agriculture ? 



Returns Avere received from 154 correspondents, and from 

 them the following summary has been compiled : — 



The Sea SOX. 

 April was a rather cold month and May opened somewhat 

 backward. The weather of May as a rule was cold but 

 pleasant, there being very little rain during the month, 

 with the result that the season was, at time of making 

 returns, somewhat more backward than the normal in most 

 sections. Rain was much needed at that time, both for 

 germination of seed and for growth of grass and hoed crops, 

 but the heavy rains of the 27th and 28th efiectually broke 

 the drought, thoroughly soaking the ground. The frosts 

 on the mornings of the 20th and 21st did considerable dam- 

 age to early vegetables and gardens. 



Pastures and Mowings. 

 In spite of the exceptionally open winter, grass of all 

 kinds, especially fall seeding, generally wintered very well 

 indeed. The cold weather of the latter part of April and 

 the first portion of May held grass back, feed being slow in 

 starting in pastures and grass making little growth on mow- 

 ings. Since then the dry weather, with little precipitation 

 and strong winds, has operated to check grass in both pas- 

 tures and mowings, and at the time of the breaking of the 

 drought it was badly in need of rain in all sections. With 

 seasonable weather in future there should nevertheless be at 

 least an average crop of hay and good feed in pastures, the 

 heavy rains of the 27th and 28th thoroughly soaking the sod 



