. ^OF 



DEC 5119" 



M ASS A(&H L4|E7TS_§XA 



. Agricultural Experiment Station. 



BXJI-irjETIN- ITO. SO. 



MAY, 1886. 



Meteorlogical Summary for two months ending May 31st, 1886. 



April. May. 



Highest temperature, 83.0* 82.0" 



Lowest temperature, 21.0 29.0 



Mean temperature, 50.4 57.3 



Total precipitation, 1.73 in. 3.10 in. 



Prevailing winds, S. W. to N. W. S. E. to S. W. 



No. of days on which cloudiness averag- 

 ed 8 or more on scale of 10, 10 12 



No. of days on which .01 inches or more 



of rain or melted snow fell, 6 7 



The season at the close of the month of April, as indicated by the 

 state of vegetation, was fully two weeks in advance of the average. 

 The month of May was cool throughout, and the general farm crops 

 .(except grass) were at its close no farther advanced than for the 

 average of years at the same period. 



FODDER AND FODDER ANALYSES. 



The application of an intelligently devised system of chemical tests 

 for the purpose of ascertaining the amount, and, the relative pro- 

 portion of the essential proximate constituents of our fodder arti- 

 cles, has rendered valuable services to practical agriculture. The 

 chemical analysis of plants during their successive stages of growth 

 has shown marked alterations in their composition as far as the aljso- 

 lute amount of vegetable matter as well as the relative proportion of 

 the essential plant-constituents are concerned. It has rendered not 

 less conspicuous the important influence which the soil in its varying 

 state of fertility exerts on the quantity and the quality of the growth 

 raised upon it. The lessons derived from this source of information 



