ON FRUITS. 69 



Grapes was fine, and the fruit committee had a fine opportunity to 

 to test the merits of the several varieties. The " Mammoth Grape" 

 of Mr. Carter, of Lowell, was found to be in flavor inferior to the 

 variety of Rev. Mr. Perry, of Bradford, and decidedly so, in com. 

 parison with that of Mr. John Adams, of Newbury, the latter of 

 which the committee considered the best variety in flavor, and as the 

 finest native "Essex County Grape," they have as yet seen. There 

 were seventy contributors of Fruit, being one third more than 

 at any former Annual Exhibition. The " Mammoth Grape," so 

 called, by Mr. Carter, who introduced this sort here the past 

 season, closely resembles a variety which we saw, some six or eight 

 years since, at the farm of the late Mr. Abel Nichols, in North Dan- 

 vers. The berries were large, nearly round, and of a dark amber 

 or light brown color, skin thick, and pulp firm. The generous pre- 

 mium oftered by our Society, for a native grape which " shall ripen 

 in our county, in the open air and in common exposures, from six to 

 eight weeks earlier than the Isabella, and of as good quality,^^ hav. 

 ing produced so good a beginning as we observed at the Hall on 

 Thursday, we trust that such a desideratum may yet be obtained. 

 The grape from Mr. Adams, although the best of the foxy flavored 

 New England variety, has that peculiar unpleasant flavor in some 

 degree, in this otherwise good grape. 



We feel obliged to some few contributors from Somerville and 

 North Reading, for their fine fruit, but were under the necessity of 

 precluding them from the gratuities, as being out of the county. 



There were seventy entries of fruit upon the tables, from which 

 the Committee, with some difficulty, awarded the following gratuities : 

 Moses Pettingill, of Topsfield, Stephen Driver, Jr. of Salem, Messrs. 



Lakes, of Topsfield, John Adams, of Newbury, Moses French, 



of Salisbury, ^2 00 each 



Ezra Cleaves, of Beverly, A. D. Rogers, of Saleui, E. Emmer- 



ton, of Salem, A. Lackey, Jr. of Marblchead, 1 50 " 



James Upton, J. S. Ives, J. M. Ives, W. C.Barton, of Salem, 



H. Poor of Andover, G. B. Perry, of Bradford, 1 00 " 



D. Roberts, W. D. Pickman, W. Stearns, E. B. Perkins, of 



Salem, 75 " 



B. P. Ware of Marblehead, D. Putnam of Danvers, Dr. Tor- 



rey of Beverly, J. H. Phippen, Winthrop Sargent, J. A. 



Goldthwait, F. Putnam, of Salem, E. II. Mudgc, Sally New- 



