USE OF KELP. 173 



lent crop ; and always, in such cases, the potatoes are of excel- 

 lent quality. "We use this kelp for all our crops ; for our root 

 crops and onion crops. By the way, it is very excellent manure 

 for onions, and especially for cabbages. I think our Marblehcad 

 cabbage, which is somewhat -well-known, depends more upon 

 kelp than any other one thing. To be sure, we make somewhat 

 of a specialty of it. We have been very careful in selecting 

 seed, so that we have a very choice kind. We have cabbages 

 that are almost sure to head — there arc very few exceptions : 

 and they will grow, sometimes, if "we will let them, a head of 

 sixty pounds upon one stalk. But we avoid raising such cab- 

 bages, if possible, because it is so difficult teaming them to Bos- 

 ton ! (Laughter.) We raise them occasionally, to exhibit at our 

 Essex County shows, and the Fairs of the Massachusetts Horti- 

 cultural Society, but we don't like to ; we had rather raise 

 smaller ones, weighing perhaps fifteen pounds. And, by the 

 way, the cabbage crop is a very valuable crop oftentimes. I 

 know of a single instance in our town, which occurred last year, 

 where upon one acre of reclaimed meadow land, which a few 

 years ago was of no sort of practical use, $725 worth of cabbages 

 were raised, at a cost of $125, leaving a net income of $600 from 

 one acre of land, in one year. 



A Member. Does this kelp ever come adulterated ? 



Mr. Ware. Oh, yes ; but we don't mind the adulterations 

 which the good Father in heaven places in our manure. 



Mr. Huntington. What manure do you think is best for 

 early potatoes ? 



Mr. Ware. I should prefer some warm stable manure in con- 

 nection with kelp ; but our manures are usually composted. 

 We make our compost of meadow mud and sea-manure — kelp ; 

 and when I say kelp, I mean all the various sea mosses. Just 

 such mosses as you will see beautiful specimens of in the books 

 that the ladies have upon their centre-tables we haul upon our 

 farms by the cart-load ; we mix them with meadow mud, and 

 they work together. We make our compost heaps of meadow 

 mud and sea-manure, of stable manure and night-soil ; and 

 when I say stable manure, I include cow manure and pig 

 manure. Wo make somewhat of a speciality of the raising of 

 squashes, and we use night-soil more especially for our squash 



