20 



" Most of my strawberry-beds are watered liberally, by a con- 

 stant flow of water along the channels, which have been described. 

 The results are, that the berries are large and fair ; they do not 

 ripen quite as early, but continue in bearing much longer ; the 

 crop is certain, even in the dryest seasons, when those on dry 

 land under ordinary management are cut off — sometimes before 

 half the crop is matured. In fact, I deem irrigation almost indis- 

 pensable for the successful cultivation of strawberries in dry sea- 

 sons. We seldom find wild strawberries on very dry land ; they 

 are found most luxuriant on moist land, which is an indication of 

 the natural wants of the plant." 



Those members of the Committee who had the opportunity of 

 going over Mr. Newell's grounds — and some of them repeated 

 their visit — can bear witness to the flourishing condition of the 

 pear trees, to the great productiveness of the strawberries, and 

 the long time the fruit continued to be produced. It was the 

 opinion of those who saw them that they had never seen vines so 

 loaded with fruit. The Chairman visited the field after most of 

 the strawberry vines in the neighborhood had ceased bearing — 

 a pretty sharp drought having set in — and found Mr. N.'s vines 

 still loaded with fruit in all stages, from the blossom to perfect 

 ripeness. The young berries appeared to be swelling, and from 

 the fresh and vigorous character of the vines, seemed in a fair 

 way to mature perfectly, which, as Mr. N. has stated, was the 

 result. 



The Committee regard the experiments of Mr. Newell as of no 

 ordinary interest, and they desire to express their thanks for his 

 kindness in explaining the processes which he has adopted in irri- 

 gation, the results of which, in his case, increase, in an important 

 degree, the evidence in favor of that practice. In the Report of 

 1860, we took occasion to speak of irrigation as a subject to which 

 the attention of our farmers ought to be more particularly directed 

 than it has hitherto been, inasmuch as it furnishes, in many in- 

 stances, the cheapest means of increasing the yield of crops. We 

 trust that the examples which we have brought forward, will have 

 the effect to stir up the minds of our farmers to the benefits they 

 may derive by the adoption of this mode of fertilization. 



The Committee visited Foxboro' in August, where they saw 

 and learned much of interest, particularly in reference to the rise 

 and progress of a branch of business which, in a pecuniary view, 

 has been of much consequence, not only to that town, but to the 

 eastern section of the State, and more or less so to New England 

 and to the country at large. We allude to the braiding of straw 

 and the manufacture of straw bonnets and hats. Few of the pres- 



