No. 4.] EEPORT OF SECRETARY. xv 



four, cabbage ; three, milk ; three, market-garden crops ; 

 two, tobacco ; two, rye ; two, strawberries ; one, peas ; one 

 fruits; one, barley; one, pears; one, wheat; one, cran- 

 berries ; and one, beans. 



Profits of the Season. 



The season was quite generally considered to have been a 

 poor one for the farmer. No correspondent spoke of it as 

 unusually profitable, while the great majority considered it 

 either unprofitable or only fairly so. The unfavorable con- 

 dition was largely due to the drought of summer and early 

 fall, which shortened nearly all crops, and in some sections 

 reduced them nearly to a uiinimum. There was also much 

 complaint of slow sales and low prices. 



Massachusetts Crop Reports. 



The publication of monthly crop bulletins was continued 

 as in previous seasons, and six in all were issued (May- 

 October), aggregating 192 pages of printed matter. Two 

 thousand copies of Nos. 1 and 2, 2,200 copies of Nos. 3, 4 

 and 5, and 2,500 copies of No. 6 were printed and distributed. 

 The bulletins were made up as in 1893. The special sub- 

 jects treated were: Bulletin No. 1, "Report on farm 

 animals," "Communication to fruit growers, dealers and 

 consumers;" Bulletin No. 2, "Tuberculosis and its eradi- 

 cation ; " Bulletin No. 3, " The diagnosis and eradication of 

 tuberculosis ; " Bulletin No. 4, " Retrospect and prospect of 

 the fruit crop of 1894," "Statistics of Massachusetts agri- 

 culture;" "Bulletin No. 5, "The regulative influence 

 exerted by birds on the increase of insect pests ; " Bulletin 

 No. G, "Household insects." Also, as in the past two 

 years, this office co-operated with the New England "Weather 

 Service in the issuing of weekly weather-crop bulletins. 

 The first was of date of April 30 and the last of date of 

 October 1, twenty-three in all, representing an aggregate 

 issue of 46,000 copies. 



