36 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1898. 



out of the year. Then from the hotbed to the hothouse was an 

 advance that required more capital. The next step in the evolu- 

 tion was substitution of larger panes of glass and smaller sup- 

 ports, then hot water heating and last steam heating. 



From the start the cost of production of lettuce has been 

 decreased. You can buy lettuce in the markets at half what 

 was charged fifteen years ago, still leaving a profit to the farmer. 

 The result is that lettuce is no longer a luxury, but a common 

 article of diet. 



The culture of celery, a vegetable which was unknown until 

 modern times, and was always grown in trenches until 1884. 

 At that time the two self-blanching varieties — the "Paris 

 Golden" and the " White Golden" — were introduced, and since 

 with these varieties the blanching was done by boards instead 

 of by the laboriously heaped trenches, the industry has received 

 a great impetus. For a short time the retail price remained the 

 same, and the pioneers in the new process grew rich ; but now 

 over-production has ensued, and only in the most favored locali- 

 ties is celery grown at a profit. 



Grape-vines do not flourish well in Southern Rhode Island, 

 while spinach does. That is one thing we ought to study more 

 on our farms, for it is certain that particular crops flourish in 

 certain localities and under certain climatic conditions. 



They say a man who causes two blades of grass to grow 

 where one grew before is a public benefactor, but I can't see it 

 unless the raiser makes a profit thereby. 



The peach, for instance, is peculiarly susceptible to conditions 

 of environment. Application of this principle brings about 

 prosperity. 



Considering the building of roads, it may be that the labor of 

 building a stone road may amount to more than the amount of 

 labor set free by the completed road. So it seems to me, that 

 the back districts should be encouraged to build the easier forms 

 of road. It is a truth that more a road is used, the more easily 

 it can be repaired. 



About $1,000,000,000 worth of forest products are being 

 consumed annually in the United States, and thus far there 



