REPORT 



OF THE 



COMMITTEE ON VEGETABLES^ 



FOR THE YEAR 1880. 



Bv CHARLES X. BRACKETT, CnAmMAN. 



The past season has been a remarkable one. The early* 

 severe, and prolonged rains, the cold and wet of midsummer^ 

 and the heavy and frequent storms during the season of harvest, 

 have all conspired to make the season of 18S9 one of great 

 discouragement to farmer and horticulturist. 



The unprecedented amount of rainfall throughout the entire 

 growing season not onlv injured the quantit}- and quality of many 

 crops, but made it next to impossible to do much of the farm 

 work seasonably. If we may accept the reports of market 

 orardeners in this vicinity as a criterion, the vegetable crops as a 

 rule have been far from satisfactory. 



Spring opened early. The month of May was unusually favor- 

 able for gardening operations generally, and all crops were in a 

 more advanced state of growth at its close than is usual at this 

 season of the year. One of the hottest days of the season 

 occurred during this month, the temperature running up into the 

 nineties, which had the effect of pushing vegetation ahead wonder- 

 fully. In fact the warm and favorable weather during this month, 

 carried the season at least ten days ahead of the average, and 

 fhlly a week in advance of the Schedule of Prizes, so that it was 

 found necessary to hold the exhibitions of July 6 and 13 together 

 on the 6th. and succeeding exhibitions a week earlier than the 

 Schedule time, in order to bring the requirements of the Schedule 

 and the advance in the season, more nearly together. 



