79 



Mr. H. A. Merrill, of North Beverly, entered Cabbages. 

 By selecting the best one-half acre in a four acre lot, he 

 showed the Committee a fair crop of cabbages for a dry sea- 

 son. With more rain at the ri ht time, and a good market, 

 his crop might have been very profitable, for he has reduced 

 the cost of growing to a very small sum. He had premium 

 cabbages last year, and grew $161.50 worth with $17.25 

 worth of manure. 



The conditions under which Mr^ Merrill farms are well 

 calculated to teach economy of production. Growing vege- 

 tables for the Boston market, on land rented by the year in 

 North Beverly, makes economy of production a necessity, if 

 one expects to add satisfactory net cash returns to the pleas- 

 ure of o'rowing cabbao-es and cartino; them to Boston. 



The Committee give Mr. Merrill the credit of havino- done 

 well under the circumstances | but they were not at liberty to 

 give him the premium, because Mr. J. J. H. Gregory, of 

 Marblehead, entered a much better crop, and to him the 

 Committee award the premium of $10. 



The conditions under which Mr. Gregory farms are very 

 ditFerent from those under which most farmers work, and it 

 is very fortunate for all purchasing seeds from him, that he 

 has been able to bring to the conditions under which he works 

 the practical skill which enables him to produce very superior 

 l^arent seed stock, from which to grow his seeds. It is per- 

 haps well that he is not compelled to study economy of pro- 

 duction as closely as some of us, for half fed stock of any 

 kind are not likely to be first class producers. , 



Mr. French, in his statement, has called attention to the 

 manure value of Mangold tops. It is well for all growing 

 mangolds to solve, to their own satisfaction, how best to 

 utilize this value. My experience with them has led me to 

 think that, when fed under the right conditions, instead of 

 being a "very indifferent" food, they are, on the contrary, a 

 very superior food for milch cows. 



