96 



sideration the amount and quality of the several crops, each 

 well merited the offered premium, although we regretted that 

 there was not more competition. While the attending duties 

 of the committee are somewhat laborious, the difterent entries 

 having been made at intervals from Sept. 1st to Oct. 25th, yet 

 more competition would have been more interesting, and would 

 have formed a basis for a more extended report than is here- 

 with submitted. 



The first visit made was to view the potatoes entered by Mr. 

 Knight, whose reputation as a successful grower of potatoes is 

 widespread, having discovered that his crop, which promised 

 well at one time, had not matured according to his expecta- 

 tions, decided not to render a statement. I was informed by 

 a neighbor of Mr. Knights', that the vines had so covered the 

 ground at one time that it was impossible to distinguish at a 

 short distance which way the rows ran, but later were so affected 

 by the calamity which so generally prevailed this season 

 throughout New England, affecting vegetation so seriously as 

 to stamp indelibly on the mind of both producer and con- 

 sumer the remembrance of the drought of 1882. 



On the day following the exhibition at Haverhill, we visited 

 the farm of Mr, Gregory in Middleton, to view his onions, and 

 after witnessing the fine exhibit presented at the Fair in the 

 various classes of vegetables, it had a natural tendency to 

 place our standard of a premium crop above a reasonable 

 level for this season, " which had been marked for its disas- 

 trous effects particularly on this crop" 



But, our expectations were more than realized. On the sum- 

 mit of Bear Hill, overlooking the surrounding country, we 

 were met by Mr. Gregory and his genial foreman, Mr. San- 

 ford, who conducted us to one of his numerous fields of onions, 

 which this season comprised in all about 19 acres, devoted to 

 the growing of this crop alone, where we saw, not the largest 

 onions that were to be found on the farm, but as perfect, sym- 

 metrical a crop, as was ever brought to our notice. At this 

 time they had been pulled, and we only regretted that we had 



