82 



the sun, but are packed in crates or boxes, and placed at 

 once in the storehouse, ready for marketing, thus saving 

 time and labor in handling. 



So far as your Committee can judge, Mr. George 

 seemed to have reduced the culture of onions almost to an 

 art. 



The same da}^ we visited the fields of potatoes and cab- 

 bage entered by Mr. Walter Smith, JMethuen. About one- 

 half of the piece of potatoes was grown on peat meadow, 

 and the appearance was rather above the average, for the 

 season. The remainder of the piece was on upland, 

 which was quite rocky, and was hardly an average crop. 



Owing to the incompleteness of Mr. Smith's statement, 

 no mention being made of cost of manure, nor to value 

 of crop, your committee do not feel justified in recom- 

 mending an award. 



The field of cabbage entered by Mr. Smith, we did not 

 consider eligible for a premium, as at the time of our visit 

 some of them were headed, large enough for market, 

 while others were but fair sized plants — causing the field 

 to present a very uneven appearance. 



Sept. 16, we went to Haverhill, where we were met by 

 Mr. E. C. Little, who conveyed us to Crystal Lake Farm, 

 of which he is superintendent. We spent some time in 

 looking over the farm, which showed evidence of thrift 

 and good management. The piece of mangolds entered 

 for premium looked ver}^ finely. 



As Mr. Little cultivates comparatively large fields, he 

 finds it better to have the rows sufficiently wide apart to 

 admit of the use of the horse hoe and cultivator in caring 

 for his crops, thus saving much hand work. 



On another part of the farm, Mr. Little showed us the 

 piece of onions which had been entered for premium. 

 Here, as in the field of mangolds, Mr. Little beheves in 

 having plenty of room to work, the rows being fifteen or 

 sixteen inches apart. At the time of our visit, the onions 



