74 WORCESTER SOCIETY. 



in season, as it would have entitled Mr. Dodge to a premium. 

 The Committee are of opinion, that the merit of that communi- 

 cation will justify them in recommending that the Society pre- 

 sent to Harvey Dodge " Washington's Letters on Agriculture," 

 as a mark of their approbation — a gratuity which they believe 

 that he will estimate more highly than he would the pecuniary 

 amount of the highest premium. 



No application was made for a premium for a crop of ruta 

 bagas, and none for potatoes ; for the latter, no application was 

 expected at the time of the appointment of your Committee. 

 The rot commenced unusually early in the season, and rapidly 

 extended — so much so, that it became the cause of much alarm 

 that the whole of the crop of potatoes would be destroyed. After 

 this disease had continued with much severity for a few days, 

 it was suddenly arrested. The causes of the commencement 

 and termination of this great evil are alike unknown to your 

 Committee, and they will not follow the example of others, who 

 make a dissertation on a subject they do not understand. The 

 crop of potatoes, although unusually small, is much greater 

 than was expected during the alarm of summer. 



JOHN W. LINCOLN, Chairman. 



D. W. Lincoln^ s Statement. 



The land upon which my crop of carrots were grown, was, a 

 few years ago, a part of an old pasture, — had never been 

 ploughed until the autumn of 1843. The two following sea- 

 sons, it was planted with potatoes and sparingly manured. Last 

 spring, about thirty loads of good barn-yard manure was spread 

 upon it and ploughed in. The seed was sown the last week in 

 May, but, owing to the dry weather that followed, it did not 

 vegetate well. The land was hoed three times during the sea- 

 son ; the weeds, at each hoeing, having got the start of the car- 

 rots. The crop was harvested the second week in November, 

 and the produce, from sixteen and a half square rods, was two 

 hundred and forty baskets of fifty-six lbs. each, or two hundred 



