110 ON ROOT CHOPS. 



but as a whole, I have not seen any crop that I should prefer. 

 They sell at the present time for one dollar and twenty-five 

 cents per barrel, delivered in Boston. 1 have so long been ac- 

 customed to keep my land clear of vv'eeds, that the labor of 

 taking care of onions is not more than twice as much as is re- 

 quired for Indian corn. I had no thought of offering this crop 

 for your examinaticn, until invited by the Chairman of your 

 committee so to do. If this plain statement of facts shall be 

 thought worthy of your notice, I shall be gratified to have 

 thus contributed my mite in the way of improvements. 

 Dan vers, Oct. 21, 1S50. 



ABRAHAM C. OSBORN'S STATEMENT. 



As much has been said and written on the onion crop, and 

 premiums and gratuities have been freely awarded by the Es- 

 sex Agricultural Society, for the most successful experiment in 

 the cultivation of it, I propose to lay before you the results of 

 my labor and success in the production of this crop. 



It will be necessary, in the first place, to present in minute 

 details, as near as can be ascertained, a statement of the expen- 

 ditures incurred for manure, for labor in preparing the land, sow- 

 ing the seed, — for cultivating, harvesting, and marketing the 

 crop. To the above may be added the rent of the land per 

 acre, or in other words, the interest of the actual worth of the 

 land per acre. 



I will commence my statement of expenses, by setting down 

 the rent of land per acre at fifteen dollars, which sum is no 

 more than the interest of what an acre of land is worth, which 

 is capable of producing a good crop of onions. Then comes 

 the expense for manure. Manure that is best adapted to pro- 

 duce a good crop, cannot be purchased short of four dollars and 

 a half per cord, and it requires no less than six cords per acre, 

 making the sum of twenty-seven dollars for the dressing, ex- 

 clusive of hauling it upon the land, which is worth one dollar 

 and a half per cord, thus making a total of thirty-six dollars in 



