1878.] TRANSACTIONS. !•") 



tomatoes and squashes, he could find a market with the dealers ; potatoes 

 alone are a good crop, and there is always a market ; his advice was to 

 stick to two or three varieties. 



Mr. Rice said his experience is best with large quantities of a few 

 vegetables. 



Mr. Draper spoke of the garden crops brought here from abroad, and 

 said this is one of the best markets, if the farmers would only improve it 

 intelligently. 



Mr. Merrifield spoke of the importance of good seed, and also of the 

 need of energy in improving and occupying the market. 



Mr. Hadwen spoke of the necessity of good seed, and suggested that 

 Worcester farmers might find their interest in raising each some one 

 variety of seed, with a special view to securing pure seed and of the best 

 quality. 



Mr. Sears related his mishaps with so called choice seeds, and expressed 

 the opinion that local growers should grow their own seed. 



Mr. C. L. Hartshorn said he had dipped into almost all vegetables in 

 connection with his milk business, but was now holding up ; consumers 

 have been reduced and producers have increased of late, and he finds it 

 almost as profitable to feed his vegetables to stock. He has grown 

 tomatoes for years ; Boston Market is his dependence ; Trophy he dis- 

 cards ; Gen. Grant and Canada Victor do. fairly, but are not reliable ; 

 with Tilden he has not had as good luck even as with Canada Victor ; 

 the Hathaway looks well, and if picked before fully ripe is excellent ; for 

 growing in a family garden it has no superior ; he would trim the vines 

 at the ends, but would leave vines enough to shade the fruit. 



Mr. J. C. Lovell said he always sets his plants the last day of May or 

 the first day of June ; if set earlier they will fail. Messrs. Draper and 

 Sears concurred in this view. 



Mr. Sears advocated well rotted manure and superphosphate for fer- 

 tilizers ; the latter gives earlier and better fruit, while the former makes 

 prodigious vines. His pet variety is the Canada Victor ; it ripens a good 

 quantity early, while other early varieties ripen only an occasional 

 specimen. 



The value of various vegetables for stock was then briefiy discussed. 

 Mr. Sears said he considered cabbages worth half a cent a pound for feed 

 for milk. Mr. Merrifield said he had, after experiment, decided in favor 

 of mangolds and sugar beets for stock. Mr. Hadwen said be was strongly 

 in favor of roots as a change of feed. Mr. .Sears concurred, but objected 

 to their excessive use. Mr. Moore .<aia his neighbors fed only English 

 turnips, lops ami all, which he thought a safe way of watering milk. Mr. 

 Merrifield said he preferreil cotton seed meal, Indian corn and .shorts as 

 more economical than roots. The meeting then dissolved. 



