61 



REPORT ON VEGETABLE AND ROOT CULTURE. 



The Committee award the following premiums : — 

 For the best collection and variety of Garden Vegeta- 

 bles, 1st premium to George R. Sampson of 



Brookline, $10.00 



To H. L. Stone of Grantville, 2d premium, . . 5.00 



To James Cartwright of Needham, 3d premium, . 4.00 



To W. S. Ware of Grantville, 4th premium, . . 8.00 



To Charles A. HeAvins of West Roxburj, 5th premium, 2.00 



To Francis Alden of Dedham, for the best conducted 



experiment in raising Carrots, a premium of . 5.00 



To Thomas Sullivan of Needham, a Diploma, for speci- 

 mens of Squash. 



CHARLES H. FRENCH, Chairman. 

 Canton, Oct. 1, 1859. 



FRANCIS ALDEN'S STATEMENT. 



The ground on which I raised the Carrots which I offer for pre- 

 mium, measures 52 square rods. The soil was a mellow loam, 

 with sandy gravel subsoil. Year before last, 1857, it was an old 

 field which had not been ploughed for thirty years, and was almost 

 entirely run out. In October I ploughed about 11 inches deep. 

 I calculated to plough it 12 inches, but I was told by those that 

 had had more experience than myself, that 11 inches would ruin 

 the land. I ploughed three acres. In the spring of 1858 I har- 

 rowed it and then run the cultivator over it twice ; then furrowed 

 it down to the sward and planted the three acres to corn, potatoes, 

 and various kinds of vegetables, all of which did remarkably well. 

 In the spring of 1859 I ploughed the whole field twice and then 

 spread about two cords of manure from my barn cellar upon the 

 carrot patch and ploughed it in and levelled it with a rake and 

 sowed with a seed sower, smooth surface, about 10th of May. 

 As soon as the carrots were up I run the scuffle hoe between the 

 rows as near to the carrots as possible ; the rows about 20 inches 

 apart. In a week or ten days I weeded and thinned them ; about 

 ten or twelve days after thinning I hoed them a second time, after 

 which nothing more was done to them. I harvested them about 

 first of November. I had 10,375 lbs., or 5 tons 375 lbs., which 



at $13.00, brought, $67.43 



34.75 



Leaving a profit of .... $32.08 



