XX BOARD OF AGEICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



Up to December 1, returns have been received concern- 

 ing 354 of the 400 farms described in the four editions of 

 the catalogue. Of these, 150 owners reported their farm 

 sold, 79 wished for various reasons to have the description 

 of their farm withdrawn from the catalogue, and 125 wished 

 the description of their farm continued in the fifth edition. 

 Nothing was heard concerning 46 farms. 



The preceding table shows the location by county of the 

 farms sold and w^ithdrawm, and the descriptions of these 

 farms were marked with red ink. One object of this method 

 of designating farms sold or withdrawn was to save expense, 

 as the pages of descriptions were stereot^^oed when set up ; 

 and another object was to show at a glance just what has 

 been done. 



Unquestionably a large majority of the purchasers of these 

 farms are of American parentage. The returns showing 

 nationality were not as full as wished, but the names sub- 

 stantiate the above statement. 



Ninety purchasers were residents of Massachusetts at the 

 time of purchase, 5 of New York, 5 of Connecticut, 2 of New 

 Hampshire, 2 of Florida, 2 of Ohio, 1 of Rhode Island, 1 of 

 New Jersey and 1 of Nova Scotia, while the residence of 41 

 was not reported. Fifty-six of the tlirms sold were reported 

 as sold for farming purposes, 14 for a home, 11 for an invest- 

 ment, 5 for farming purposes and poultry raising, 6 for dairy- 

 ing and stock raising, 5 for summer residence, 4 for poultry 

 raising, 2 for sheep raising, 1 for poultry raising and market 

 gardening, 1 for cranberry culture, 1 for the wood and lum- 

 ber, while the intentions of 44 purchasers w^ere not obtained. 



By the State census of 1885 there were 45,010 farms in 

 the State, representing a total acreage of 3,898,429| ; aver- 

 age acreage, 86.61 ; total value of lands and buildings, $185,- 

 118,925 ; average value of lands and buildings, $4,112.83. 



The total acrea2:e of the 543 farms advertised in the cata- 

 logue is 61,763|; average acreage, 113.72; total amount 

 asked for the farms, $907,030; and average amount asked 

 for the farms, $1,670.40. 



The total acreage of the 150 farms reported sold is 15,110^^, 

 or an average acreage of 100.73. The 150 farms sold for a 

 total of $229,125, or an average of $1,527.50. 



