434 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



experience in raising them, I have never succeeded in growing them here to 

 perfection ; but I have seen some good onions grown here. 



Mr. Tracy. — Good onions or good crops ? 



Mr. Pratt. — Grood crops and good onions. 



Mr. Tracy. — To be profitable the entire crop must be good. Not more than 

 two bushels to the acre should be unmarketable. Unless put into the market 

 dry and in good shape they are unsalable. 



Mr. B. Montague. — I have never raised onions before. Spring of last year I 

 sowed Yellow Danvers. I found the crop did not ripen, but kept on growing. 

 I believe the cause of this Avas their being sown too late. Last spring I sowed 

 thick and early. My Yellow Danvers ripened and were good, solid onions, 

 nice as I ever saw; but the yield was small. My red onions did not ripen. 

 My brother raises onions on this peninsula which ripen and succeed well in 

 every respect, and I believe this crop would always prove successful if sown 

 early and the ground kept in a high state of cultivation. I do not know 

 whether they may be said to pay ; but I do know that mine cost fifty cents per 

 bushel to raise, and sold for one dollar, — and I consider that onions paid me 

 best. Peas pay well, — better I believe than any grain crop, as they require less 

 cultivation. The plan I adopt with them is to sow on potato ground, and 

 thresh them by treading out with my horses. I find this method of threshing 

 cheaper than by machine. I can thresh thus three loads of twelve bushels to 

 the load in one afternoon. Another reason why I think peas a profitable crop, 

 is that coming in early they enable us to fatten our hogs in season. Peas are 

 less exhaustive to the land than oats and some other grain crops. They are 

 in this respect something like clover. I plant two kinds of peas, the Black- 

 eyed Marrowfat and the common field pea. Of the former variety the yield 

 this year was eleven bushels to fifty rods of land. I consider corn a profitable 

 crop to raise in a young orchard, — much better than potatoes. I planted the 

 King Philip this year and had a good crop. I like this variety better than 

 dent, but it is very hard to husk. 



Mr. Avery, having shown fine specimens of clover and timothy hay, remark- 

 able for their freshness and sweetness, retaining even the bloom on the flowers 

 of the former, said : "My best paying crop this year was hay. Counting it at 

 six dollars per ton I consider it netted 100 per cent profit. Some of my wheat 

 crop cost me one dollar, and some sixty cents per bushel, and netted forty 

 cents per bushel over cost of growing. Potatoes cost me twenty-five cents per 

 bushel. Corn proved a failure with me this year. With regard to corn, I 

 would suggest to the Club not to husk it, but feed it in the stalk. When kept 

 so, it does not become hard and dry as when husked ; and the labor of husk- 

 ing, cribbing, etc.. being thus avoided, a saving of one-fourth the cost of the 

 corn is effected. I am of opinion that we cannot grow crops profitably that 

 require reshipping, unless they be early. My best paying small crop this year 

 was " Wilson's Early" blackberries. The yield was one quart to the hill. I 

 believe that if a drying or canning establishment were opened in this region 

 this would prove one of the most profitable crops to grow, as would also 

 black currants. There is a growing demand for this latter fruit : converted 

 into jam and jelly it is much used for medicinal purposes. The flesh of this 

 berry being firmer than that of most of our small fruits, it is more easily 

 handled than they are. 



Mr. Brinkman. — With regard to the price of squashes, I would say I sold 

 mine at ten cents each, and can make money at that price. 



