viii BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



cannot as yet be foretold, but it is my belief tbat we may 

 reasonably look to a permanent increase in values, to an 

 increased efficiency in our agriculture, and, because of tbese 

 factors, to a more bopeful feeling and greater expectation 

 of profit on the part of our farming population. That such 

 an outlook is valuable cannot be gainsaid; in the world we 

 are very apt to achieve, in a general way, what we expect 

 to achieve, and one of the greatest handicaps under which 

 agriculture in jSTew England has suffered in the past twenty 

 years has been the general pessimistic attitude of the ma- 

 jority of those engaged in it. This the present more hope- 

 ful feeling should, and undoubtedly will, do much to expel. 



Another indication of this general upward movement in 

 agricultural conditions in ITew England is the holding of 

 expositions and fostering interest in certain crops and 

 classes of crops, such as the E'ew England Fruit Show of 

 1909 and the New England Corn Exposition of the past year. 

 The former showed the public and the fruit growers of New 

 England that we could produce as fine looking fruit as that 

 of the west, the quality having long been admitted to be 

 superior, and the latter that it was possible to establish 

 world's records for yield of corn per acre in Massachusetts, 

 in spite of the supposed superiority of western lands and 

 methods for this crop. These expositions should be repeated 

 in future years and others held covering other crops and 

 products, so that we may know our own possibilities in as 

 many lines as possible, and also demonstrate them to others. 



From the standpoint of the business farmer the year has 

 generally been very satisfactory. The effect of the third 

 successive year of drought was more apparent upon wells, 

 springs, streams and ponds than upon growing crops, as 

 timely showers brought most crops through the season with 

 surprisingly little damage. The rains of the early season, 

 while not giving many inches of precipitation, nevertheless 

 resulted in an excellent hay crop. The corn crop was re- 

 markably good, both for grain and stover, and was secured 

 without damage from frost, while other grain crops were at 

 least average. For these reasons, together with generally 

 satisfactory prices, the dairymen had a prosperous year, and 



