88 



"dead beats ;" onions, with their outer skins peeled off "to make 

 them look nice," their tops cut off so close as to make them 

 unfit for keeping ; vegetables dumped on to the table in a heap 

 or almost hid in a deep, dirty box, instead of nicely arranging 

 them, or in various ways making his exhibit non-conform with 

 the rules or unattractive to the eye. The farmer ought to 

 know by this time that the more attractive his products are 

 arranged the better custom he has, and more from thoughtless- 

 ness than ignorance presents his products in the Fair in an 

 unattractive form. 



The above has not been written to apply so much to our late 

 Fair as to all, for, as a whole, the exhibit was very attractive 

 to the eye, and so generally good that many steps had to be 

 taken by your committee between the hall and the tent, before 

 a decision as to comparative merits could be made, and even 

 then, with the best intentions to be just, it was almost impossi- 

 ble that full justice could be done when the articles in compe- 

 tition were not side by side. 



The largest contributor to this department was the well- 

 known seedsman, Hon. J. J. H. Gregory of Marblehead, who 

 exhibited eighty varieties of seventeen different kinds of vege- 

 tables, and two hundred and ten varieties of seed. His col- 

 lection of Tomatoes was the largest of any, and his mode of 

 cultivating them has been fully treated in a report made by 

 him to the Society in 1871, and copied into the State Keport 

 the same year. He has also in other reports treated vegeta- 

 bles and seed in his usual practical form. 



The next largest exhibit was by M. F. Batchelder of Pea- 

 body, who contributed twenty -four varieties of twelve different 

 kinds. 



The potatoes exhibited by eighteen contributors were very 

 fine, although averaging larger than " a good size for family 

 use," many of the new varieties being among them. Mr. Em- 

 ery exhibited the " Goodwin Seedling," which potato was 

 awarded the Society's premium of $25 this year, " for the best 

 seedling potato raised in Essex County, it having had a three 



