186 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



tallies. A great change has taken place within a few years 

 with regard to the demand and supply of what we call vege- 

 tables to supply the market. The facilities of transportation, 

 by the various lines of railroads and steamboats, permeating 

 all parts of the country, are now so great, that a deficiency in 

 one part of the country is immediately supplied by another. 

 Formerly, when a short supply occurred, the farmers were 

 enabled to obtain an increased price for their productions ; but 

 to-day, the perfection of transportation is such, that should 

 there be a short crop in one part of the country, it is imme- 

 diately supplied from another part where there is abundance, 

 so that at the present time there seems to be no chance for 

 growing any crop, — onions, if you pleasje, or other crops, — as 

 there has been heretofore, except at a small profit. It is not 

 many years since I unloaded loads and loads of squashes and 

 cabbages in Boston markets, and saw them filled into barrels 

 immediately, and marked "Worcester." But such a thing, as 

 you well know, never occurs now. I remember very well 

 furnishing cabbages and onions, and various other crops, that 

 were sold to go to Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont ; but 

 to-day these States not only supply themselves, but are 

 ready at any time to fill up any deficiency that may exist in 

 our market. Some years ago, the markets of New Orleans 

 and Mobile were the principal openings for our onion crop ; 

 but in a little while they were abundantly supplied from up 

 the Mississippi River, where they could grow them at a great 

 deal less cost than we could here in New England, and tloat 

 them down in their flat-boats, and that market was shut to us. 

 More recently, Philadelphia and New York have been the 

 great openings for the surplus of our crops ; but last year, 

 onions (I mention this crop especially to illustrate the change 

 in the market) started at $2.50 a barrel, and many were sold 

 to go to the Philadelphia market at that price ; but all at once 

 the Philadelphia market was glutted with onions from Michi- 

 gan, at a dollar a barrel, which knocked the price down at 

 once in our market, and we poor farmers of Essex County 

 were obliged to submit. A year ago, early cabbages were 

 bringing a handsome price, a remunerative price, in Boston 

 market, and farmers felt that they were going to be enabled 

 to reap a rich reward for their labor in the cabbage crop ; but 



