112 ROOT CROPS. 



Future committees will, I hope, look after their's and others' farms 

 in the eastern part of the count_y, and report them at length. 



DAVID CHOATE. 



ROOT CKOPS. 



This committee, (consisting of J. Crosby, of Andover, J. Alley, 

 3d, of Lvnn, and W. Little, of Newbury, together with Messrs. 

 Waters and Proctor, added Nov. 1.5th,) have attended to the 

 duty entrusted to their care, and report upon the statements that 

 came to their hands, as follows : 



Previous to speaking of the particular statements, they ask leave 

 to suggest that there exists an inexcusable degree of looseness in 

 relation to the principles to be regarded in making these awards. 

 The committee are unable to find any definite regulation as to the 

 time of making entries of these claims. It has been usual to give 

 notice of such claims to the Secretary early in the season, that the 

 committee may have an opportunity to view the crops when on the 

 ground ; but this practice has not always prevailed ; less the present 

 season than before, for the committee had no knowledge of these 

 entries, until the statements came to their hands on the 15th No- 

 vember; consequently their judgment must be based upon the 

 statements, or upon side-way information otherwise obtained. 



The statements of the extraordinary products on the farm of 

 Mr. Brown, of Marblehead, are truly astonishing. They go so far 

 beyond anything of the kind ever before brought to the knowledge 

 of your committee, that they could not at first credit them entirely. 

 A particular examination of the facts, by some of your committee, 

 who went upon the ground, has resulted in the conviction that if 

 the mode of measurement adopted by Mr. Brown, can be approved, 

 his statements may be credited. The certificate of the foreman on 

 the farm is attached, who probably knew much better than Mr. B. 

 himself, who is not presumed to have had any hand in the growing 

 or measuring of the crops. The general mode of measurement 



