114 ON ROOT CROPS. * 



at the rate of twenty-eight and three quarter tons per acre. His 

 statement is found below, and the Committee think that Mr. Dodge 

 is entitled to the Society's premium of six dollars, and recommend 

 that it be awarded to him. 



DAVID CHOATE, Chairman. 

 Essex, Nov. 17th, 1849, 



The annexed letter from the President of our Society b inserted^ 

 as containing facts worthy of being registered : 



Danvers, Oct. Sa, 1849. 



My Dear Sir, — I am pleased to learn that you will prepare a 

 Report on the cultivation of Roots, notwithstanding our cultivatorar 

 have failed to forward statements of their crops the present season. 

 It sesms to me quite as important to take notice of the failure of 

 crops, and to trace the causes thereof, as their success. I will state, 

 briefly, such facts as have come to my knowledge, from intercourse . 

 with the cultivators of this neighborhood, to be used at your distj 

 cretion. 



1st. As to the Onion crop. In this there has been a failure. 

 IRot more than half the usual quantity raised to the acre, upon.aTj,^ 

 average. The cause of this failure is thought to have been, not so 

 much th« drought, as the extreme warmth, in the early part of the, 

 season. Shortly after the warm days referred to, the onions began.j 

 to falter, and in many places became lousy, or covered with a small 

 light-colored insect, that stints and impedes the growth of the plant ; 

 some fields were entirely destroyed in this way. This happened 

 quite as extensively among the most careful cultivators as others. 

 More on ground long appropriated to the onions, than new land. 

 Some fields suffered from the drought, where the ploughing had * 

 been shallow for several successive years ; — but generally the failure 

 in the crop is supposed to have' been ocsasioned by the cause first j 

 mentioned. Very few have obtained more than three hundred bush' , 

 els to the acre, where they expected four or Jive hundred; gener*. 

 ally the crop has been less than two hundred bushels to the acre. 

 Taking into view that three hundred acres, at least, of our best 

 lands, the present season, were appropriated to the gixrwjttg.of th©^ 



