REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON VEGETABLES FOR 

 THE YEAR 1909. 



BY JOSIAH B. SHURTLEFF, JR., CHAIRMAX. 



Your committee has to report that the quality of the vegetables 

 for the past year has excelled even the usual high standard, but the 

 number of exhibitors has dropped from fortv-eight to thirty-two. 

 The dry season may have been partly responsible for this, but we 

 think a radical change might be made and thereby bring in more 

 varieties and larger exhibits. 



We believe that the method of holding one large show each year 

 is a good one, as was proven by the recent large apple exliibition. 

 There is to be a special flower show in May, 1910, and we hope a 

 large vegetable exhibition may be arranged for the following year. 



Without speaking disparagingly of fruit and flowers, for they 

 certainly do appeal to the public eye, we feel that vegetables are of 

 more economic value; and certainly their cultivation should be 

 encouraged and some special inducements made for the introduc- 

 tion of new varieties and larger displays. Larger prizes might be 

 offered for collections in order to excite keener competition. 



Tv\'o winter shows were held in January and ]\Iarch, and while 

 the displays were good the number of varieties was limited. 



The first part of the summer was not conducive to the best results 

 in growing vegetables for exliibition purposes, owing to the unusually 

 dry weather, but the average excellence of all our exhibitions was 

 fully maintained. 



The June 5 display of lettuce was both large and of superior 

 merit, but the Standwell, a variety shown by INIrs. A. W. Blake, 

 was 'par excellence in size and appearance. 



W. J. Clemson entered a collection which deserves great credit 

 and his cauliflowers were exceptionally well grown. 



Geo. D. Moore, on June 26, exhibited White Spine cucumbers 

 of perfect size and quality. 



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