SECRETARY'S REPORT. 37 



tions of the State. A correspondent, whose great observation 

 entitles his judgment to high consideration, writes as fol- 

 lows : — 



" In reply to your inquiry, what are the crops chiefly culti- 

 vated on the lands in your vicinity, I beg leave to state : in 

 addition to grass, and the various kinds of grain, much atten- 

 tion is given, of late, to the growing of vegetables — particu- 

 larly the onion. More money is annually realized from this, 

 than any other vegetable product. Not less than one hundred 

 thousand barrels are annually grown in this town, and sent to 

 market, chiefly to Boston, whence they are shipped in all direc- 

 tions. The product, to the acre, varies from three hundred to 

 seven hundred bushels — according to the attention given to 

 fertilizing and preparing the land for the crop. No product 

 demands greater care in the cultivation, or better rewards it 

 when applied. It is not uncommon for an individual to -realize 

 three hundred dollars and more, for his own labor in growing 

 this crop, in a single season. Excepting some of the herbs 

 and vegetables for the supply of the market, there is no crop 

 with us that pays better. This crop is not confined to this 

 town ; many of the adjoining towns grow onions in large quan- 

 tities, though not so many as in Danvers." 



These extracts from diiferent sections, show how little 

 attention has been paid to the roots throughout the State. 

 They are comparatively little valued, and, with few excep- 

 tions, as field crops they are hardly cultivated at all. 



This is regarded, by some, as one of the most agreeable 

 branches of husbandry, and the more it is followed the more it 

 will commend itself to the consideration of practical farmers 

 who are so situated as to be able to attend to it. 



The root crops are so highly appreciated in England, that 

 their introduction has often been said to have created a revo- 

 lution in the agriculture of that country. Nearly three millions 

 of acres are annually appropriated to the turnip, and the annual 

 value of this crop amounts to nearly two millions of dollars. 



