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ties sweet corn might head the list. Potatoes are important, but 

 not grown to much profit. 



The general sentiment, as shown by the discussion which fol- 

 lowed, entered into by some fifteen, or more speakers, was that 

 the cabbage crop had led all others for reliable profit, while 

 forage crops for milk production, were considered by some the 

 most profitable. 



In the Afternoon, the essay on "Whittier, the Poet of the New 

 England Home," was a finished production by M. Walsh Bart- 

 lett, a West Newbury farmer, showing himself thoroughly ac- 

 quainted with his subject, giving numerous quotations from the 

 poet's writings, illustrative of his inspiration and characteristics. 

 Only the leading points of the essay, as reported, are given here. 



President Ware, in introducing the essayist, spoke of the spe- 

 cial inspiration found in agriculture for poetic thoughts, and 

 said that Whittier was to the farmers of New England, what 

 Burns was to Scotland. 



Mr. Bartlett began by saying that heretofore all the subjects 

 discussed by these institutes had reference to dollars and cents. 

 This is a refreshing departure. He spoke of Whittier, a little 

 more than fifty years ago, at the age of 28, tilling the soil of 

 his father's across the Merrimac. Some time since the poet ex- 

 pressed himself to the speaker as "glad to be remembered by 

 the Essex County farmers, for I was one of them until near 30 

 years of age." The question was asked when this subject was 

 proposed : 



"Do any of our farmers care for poetry?" If they are so in- 

 tent upon the acquiring of property that they cannot see the 

 beauty and poetry in nature about them, then there is something 

 wrong in our New England farm life and it is time to call a halt. 

 But such is not the case. 



To posterity must be assigned the task of fixing Whittier's 

 place among the English poets. His style has not the range of 

 the great masters ; — there is but one Shakespeare and one Mil- 



