146 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. . 



minerals may be applied to soils with success as restoratives. 

 Soils may be improved by mixing one with another ; if clay 

 predominates, it should be amended by sand ; if the soil is too 

 sandy, by an admixture of clay. 



Close and intelligent observation will enable every farmer to 

 determine what character of land is best adapted to each crop, 

 and what crops should succeed each other. "We want more 

 labor and a rotation of crops. An eminent agriculturist has 

 said : " We not only want more capital, but we want more 

 labor — a great deal more of it." There is nothing in which our 

 farmers come so short as in the employment of labor on their 

 farms. The profit comes from skilful working of the land. 



We would not overlook the value of our barn and stable 

 composts, for they are the most important resources we have 

 for fertilizers ; but the amount is by far too limited for our hay 

 lands, cereals and tillage, and substitution must be resorted to 

 for vegetables. 



Time and space will not allow us to more than hint at these 

 systems by which our lands may be made much more produc- 

 tive. We believe that maximum crops of from seventy-five to 

 one hundred bushels of corn, and three hundred to four hun- 

 dred of potatoes to the acre, can easily be produced, by skill and 

 labor, on some of the lightest lands in our county. 



Alexander Macy, Jr., Chairman. 



FRUITS. 



HINGHAM. 



From the Report of the Committee. 

 So favorable a season for the successful cultivation of grapes 

 has not been experienced in this vicinity for a number of years, 

 and the results were apparent at our exhibition in the large num- 

 ber of contributions and the beautiful appearance and ripeness 

 of the fruit. Yet this season must not be taken as an index of 

 what may be the result in the future ; on the contrary, we must 

 rather judge from the experience of the past ten years, what we 

 may expect, and what varieties are really worthy of our atten- 



