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the various places where they have been held, thus pro- 

 moting the good attendance at them which we believe is 

 productive of much good to the farming interests of our 

 county. Thanks are also due to the essayists who have 

 prepared so carefully such valuable papers for the meet- 

 ings. 



The ladies at nearly all the places visited, interested in 

 charitable objects, provided good dinners for us at a fair 

 price. 



DAVID W. LOW, Secretary. 



REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON ESSAYS, 

 REPORTS AND STATEMENTS. 



The committee received but a single Essay this year, 

 that of Mr. Charles W. Mann, of Methuen, upon " Cab- 

 bage and Onions," published herewith, for which they 

 have awarded the second premium of $10. Fortunately 

 Mr. Faxon contributed the second part of his Essay on 

 "Annuals and their Cultivation," so that this department 

 is not so deficient as it would otherwise have been. Mr. 

 Faxon's essay is so meritorious, in the judgment of the 

 committee, that they recommend to the Trustees that he 

 be paid five dollars additional to the award of last year, 

 which will raise the premium granted him, to the rank of 

 first-class. 



The committee hope that they may be able to report 

 more essays another year. It can hardly be that with the 

 constantly increasing interest in such writings there can 

 be any permanent disinclination among our people to thus 

 furnish us with the results of their experience and study. 

 The essays are among the most valued features of our 

 annual volume, and are eagerly read in the families of 

 the farmers of Essex County, and by many interested 

 persons not embraced in the membership of the society. 

 These papers, hitherto published, have been extremely 

 valuable and entertaining, and have largely contributed 



