125 



the place would feed, increasing their grain and scattering their 

 droppings. A rock}' pasture is hard to mow, and practically it 

 does not pay. 



The 62nd Institute was held at Topsfield Town Hall, Dec. 

 28th, 1888, to discuss "Which have been the most profitable 

 Crops for Essex County Farmers during the past five years?" 

 opened by Aaron Low, of Essex, who referred to the subject 

 as one difficult to discuss in a general way, owing to the differ- 

 ences in the location of the farms in regard to markets and 

 places for procuring fertilizers, and found the question a hard 

 one to answer in his own experience, much more so in regard to 

 the whole county. He then gave points in favor of cabbages, 

 potatoes, onions, sweet corn, squashes and tomatoes as leading 

 vegetables for profit. He believed in double crops for profit. 

 He closed with the following statement of crops awarded pre- 

 miums by the society : 



Daniel Carlton in 1883, realized $128.15 profit from a half 

 acre of cabbages, in 1884, $176.50 from a half acre, and in 1885 

 $243.82 from an acre. In 1887, (a very bad year,) Charles W. 

 Mann, of Methuen, realized $67.33 profit from a half acre. 



An onion crop in 1883, by H. F. Longfellow, yielded a profit 

 at the rate of $526.70 per acre ; in 1884, J. H. George, $510.02 ; 

 in 1885, David Warren, $778. In 1886, Asa T. Newhall, 

 $913.62 ; in 1887, J. H. George, $577.22. 



A potato crop, by John H. George, in 1885, yielded a profit 

 at the rate of $154.26 per acre, and in 1886, $120.88. Richard 

 F. Dodge, in 1887, $226. 



Squashes — Asa T. Newhall, in 1886, $151.21 profit, from an 

 acre as a second crop, following early potatoes ; 1887, David 

 Warren, $194.62 profit from an acre. 



In answer to a direct question by President Ware, Mr. Low 

 said he would, generally speaking, consider the cabbage crop as 

 most profitable with onions second place, though in some locali- 



