have been going, prevented proper working of the soil, and as a natural result there was a crop of weeds, which absorbed the small amount of moisture in the soil.

Owing to the low price of seed potatoes and the general theory that prices would advance, more than the usual area was planted with this crop, but any increase in the crop of 1893, from this cause, was much more than discounted by the decreased yield of the crop.

Several of our correspondents, notably in Lancaster county, reported losses from the potato borer, which, by boring the stalk, injured the plants and decreased the yield. In Columbia, Bradford and other counties considerable loss was caused by the Blister beetle attacking the vines, and it may be assumed that probably owing to long continued dry weather, the damage to this crop by insects was greater than during any preceeding year of the past two decades.

The more general introduction of labor-saving machinery for planting and digging this crop, will, as it has done with all other farm crops inevitably increase the area planted and proportionately, taking the average season, yield and price into consideration, decrease the price in the market, and proportionately decrease the profits of the grower who does not make use of labor-saving machinery

Hay.

This crop, like that of potatoes, was very irregular in its yields, as our reports indicate that there were many sections, limited in extent, in which an excellent crop of hay was harvested, but a general summary of reports from our correspondents indicates that the crop of the State was below the average.

In some localities this was partially due to the failure of the grass sown in last year's wheat stubbles, in others it was in part due to heavy snow falls remaining long upon the ground, and in some sections so heavy, followed by freezing rains, that it smothered the clover. Some localities report a very good yield of clover hay, but a general failure of timothy, and assign as a reason that rains at the proper time saved the clover from the worst effects of the drought, but were too soon to have a similar effect upon the timothy hay.

Several of the reports of our correspondents note the fact that where the clover seed sown in the spring of 1892, and also that sown last spring, was sown at two periods some distance apart, the set was much better, the theory being that what was lost by one sowing was gained by the other. Now that this work can be satisfactorily accomplished by machinery, there is no difficulty in making at least two sowings and thus avoiding the general loss which so often follows when the dependence is in one sowing only.

During the past year considerable amounts of hay have been exported to France to make up, at least in part, the deficiency in the European crop; several car loads were also shipped from central Pennsylvania direct to southern points.

Local or Farmers' Institutes.

During the year ending June 1, 1893, the Board held eighty-one local farmers' institutes in various counties of the State; in addition

to these, three institutes were held in connection with meetings of the Board in the counties of Franklin, Dauphin and Indiana, thus making a total of eighty-four institutes during the appropriation year. The institute of Cambria county was, with its appropriation, carried over until after June 1, thus making eighty-four institutes provided for.

In making a distribution of the annual appropriation, the Advisory Committee awarded one hundred and fifty dollars to each of the following counties upon condition that not less than two institutes should be held in each, viz: Chester, Bucks, Columbia, Clinton, Lancaster, Susquehanna, Northumberland and York. The other counties of the State were awarded the sum of one hundred dollars each.

The counties of Allegheny, Beaver, Cameron, Carbon, Delaware, Elk, McKean, Monroe, Philadelphia, Pike, Potter, Schuylkill, Snyder, and Tioga made no claim upon the Board for the amount of their appropriations.

The counties of Clinton, Lancaster, Mercer, Northumberland, Susquehanna and York held three institutes each. The counties of Adams, Armstrong, Bedford, Bucks, Centre, Chester, Clearfield, Columbia, Indiana, Jefferson, Lackawanna, Lawrence, Luzerne, Montour, Northampton, Perry, Union and Wayne, held two each, and the other counties which made a claim for a portion of the funds, one institute each.

The number of institutes held, and the average attendance at the sessions was largely in increase of that of the preceding year, and this increased interest is further shown by the increase in number of institutes asked for during the present year. Last year applications for one hundred and twenty-three institutes were filed in the office of the Board; this year the number of similar applications amounts to one hundred and fifty-three.

Last year considerable dissatisfaction was expressed with the mode of distributing the funds, and at the opening of our present year the Advisory Committee, after carefully considering each proposed plan, decided to award the amount of seventy-five dollars (as a minimum) to each county, with a further award of two cents per farm as shown by the census of 1890.

Under this mode of distribution the amount awarded to each county is as follows:

In accordance with the rules of the Committee, the list of applications was closed September 20, when it was found that the counties of Cameron, Elk, Forest, McKean, Pike and Potter had made no claim for the share of the institute fund awarded to them by the Committee. An application was afterwards received from Potter county, but too late to secure the award.

One of the propositions made to the Committee was based upon an award of a certain rate per farm, without any minimum, but this was not deemed advisable as in some or the smaller counties of the State, the amount under this plan would have been insufficient to hold a good institute, and that it would be best to make a minimum award of a sum sufficient to ensure a good institute, and to increase this by an allotment based upon the number of farms, thus giving the larger agricultural counties the preponderance to which they were entitled. The experience gained by the institute season of 1892-93 indicates that a change might with profit be made in our institute system, by which the Advisory Committee may be empowered to employ lecturers and leading agriculturists to attend a course of institutes properly ranged in a consecutive series, in such a manner that speakers may be taken from one to the other without any extra amount of travel or any great loss of time. Such a change will make it necessary that the Committee, either by special rule or by an agreement with institute managers, should control the dates at which institutes shall be held, for, without some such provision, much loss of time and funds would ensue.

This plan has voluntarily been adopted by a number of institute managers in different portions of the State during the present year, and the experience thus gained, and the benefits received, make it probable that it will next year be adopted by institute managers generally throughout the State.

During the year commencing June 1, 1893, the counties of Carbon, Delaware, Monroe, Philadelphia and Cambria, which have not heretofore claimed their portion of the institute fund, have this year made applications for institutes, which have been granted. The counties of Cambria and Monroe have, by the election of members of the Board, obtained the right to their allotments. The counties of Allegheny and Tioga, which held no institutes last year, have made application this year and have been awarded their quota from the appropriation. Considered as a whole, the institute season of 1892-93 has been a great improvement upon any preceding years, and this improvement has been shown in the following directions:

First. By the increased attendance at the institutes.

Second. By the increase in the number of institutes asked for. Third. By the number of counties which are now claiming the recognition of the Board which have not made previous applications of this character.

Texan Fever.

The past year has been characterized by two outbreaks of Texan fever of more than usual virulence, and resulting in greater losses to individual stock owners than any for several years past, and it is worthy of note that both are probably entirely due to a violation of the rules and regulations imposed by the National Bureau of Animal Industry. During the past few years a strict adherence to these rules had prevented serious outbreaks, and the experience thus gained had enabled the department to formulate rules which, if strictly adhered to, would no doubt have prevented the outbreaks of the past

year.

An outbreak at Pittston, Luzerne county, has the following history:

Chapman & Co., of Pittston, purchased several car loads of cattle of G. F. Herriott & Co., of Illinois; arrangements were made for their delivery in car load lots of 25 for each week, commencing with May 12. Arrangements had also been made to have the cattle pastured at the farm of George Wagner, near Pittston, until they were killed, the privilege being granted to kill a few at a time, as wanted. The cars were distinctly marked "Cattle from infected district-for slaughter only," but they were allowed to come in contact with other cattle after landing at Pittston and before they were killed.

None of the western animals showed any signs of disease, but the butchers who killed them state that they were covered with "Texan cattle ticks," and the evidence indicates that one or more car loads of the cattle carried the infection of Texan fever with them.

About fifty-six days after they had been exposed to the first shipment of western or southern cattle, Mr. Wagner's animals commenced to show signs of Texan fever, and the outbreak did not subside until all of Mr. Wagner's cattle were dead. Other (native) animals in the neighborhood which had come in contact with the shipment of cattle were covered with the same kind of "ticks," and, although several were sick, none were lost. The losses by the outbreak are estimated at $300.00.

As soon as it was demonstrated that an unusual disease had broken out, Dr. Bridge was sent to Pittston and at once diagnosed it as Texan fever, and recommended the treatment usually accorded to this disease; prompt application of these remedies undoubtedly saved the lives of a number of animals and very much mitigated the losses by the outbreak.

While the outbreak at Pittston was in progress, one of a similar nature was reported near Doe Run, Chester county, which has the following history:

Two carloads of cattle were shipped from Branchville, Southampton county, Virginia, to Newark, Delaware; they were shipped June 3, and arrived at Newark on the fifth, and were turned out to pasture in a meadow nearby, where they remained until the eleventh, and were then driven to Kimbleville, Chester county, Pa., where they were sold to farmers for "feeders;" four of them were purchased by Evan Baker and driven to his farm near Doe Run and there turned into pasture with the miscellaneous stock of the farm, including ten head of cattle which had been on the farm nearly a year and were fat, and a number of home raised animals. As the purchased animals were supposed to have come from Northern Maryland, nothing wrong was suspected until, on August 12, Mr. Baker found one of his fat steers dead and three others seriously sick. Others continuing to show symptoms of the disease, and several having died, neighboring stockowners became alarmed and the assistance of the State Board of Agriculture was called in and Dr. Bridge at once sent to make an investigation and report. From external appearances of the sick animals, and from descriptions received from those who had made several post-mortems, Dr. Bridge had no hesitation in pronouncing the disease Texan fever, and recommended the usual remedies in such cases.