REPORT 



OF THE 



COMMITTEE ON VEGETABLES, 



FOR THE YEAR 1887. 



By CHARLES N. BRACKETT, Chairman. 



A review of the exhibitions made in this department from week 

 to week during the season, brings prominentl}- to view the interest 

 manifested in the cultivation of the products of tlie earth, and the 

 improvement in their character which is constantlj* being made. 

 From the opening exhibition in Januarj', to the closing one in 

 November, we have seen samples of the choicest products of the 

 vegetable garden, bountifully displayed on our tables. These 

 displays have added to the interest of the exhibitions, have been 

 much admired by visitors at our rooms, and would compare 

 favorably with the best results of former years, both as regards 

 quality and variety. 



The past season has been fairly favorable for nearly all varieties 

 of vegetables, if we except the potato. The early prospect for 

 this crop was fine, and up to the month of August it never looked 

 more promising. About this time, favored by the hot, wet weather 

 of midsummer, the rot suddenly made its appearance in its worst 

 form, causing immense losses in the aggregate, throughout a wide 

 section of the country. It has not been an uncommon thing to 

 hear from certain sections, of the entire destruction of the crop 

 by this disease. Wherever the potato is grown the potato fungus 

 is liable to make its appearance. Tiiere is no known remedy for 

 the disease, and no special system of culture can be I'elicd on to 



