No. 85.] 195 



The other field, which contained about 50 rods of ground, was 

 mowed the previous year, and cows were yarded on it during the 

 spring. The soil being a clay loam, and very dry at the time of 

 plowing, was afterwards very lumpy, notwithstanding it was very 

 thoroughly harrowed. This field was planted even later by a few 

 days, than the other, with the sugar beet ; a part of it in drills 2 

 feet apart ; and the remainder in drills 3 feet apart, with alternate 

 rows of ruta baga between each two rows of beets. But the beet 

 seed being old and poor, mostly failed, and the ruta baga became the 

 principal crop — the produce being about 150 bushels of the turnep, 

 and 50 of the beet. The beets in the first field were planted in 

 double drills, 3 feet apart from center to center, or 2 feet from out- 

 side to outside of the drills ; the two rows constituting each " double 

 drill," being one foot apart. 



The planting was done with a " drill harrow," invented by J. Battey , 

 [the same which was exhibited at the late Fair of our Society, and re- 

 ceived its premium,] which by the way, is the most perfect machine 

 of the kind, I have any knowledge of ; it being adapted to jDlanting 

 all kinds of garden seeds, as well as field beets and turneps, and also 

 corn. For planting all the smaller seeds there is probably nothing 

 superior to it ; and for planting beets and other rough seeds, as also 

 for planting corn, it surpasses any other which I have ever seen. 

 For planting corn it is admirable. It will drop in hills, or in drills, 

 at almost any required distance ; and drops plaster with the corn, in 

 any required quantity, and with perfect uniformity. It performs the 

 whole work of opening the drill, dropping corn and plaster, covering, 

 and pressing down the earth, at one operation^ — and as fast as the 

 operator pleases to w^alk, which be may easily do at the rate of from 

 3 to 5 acres a day. 



In planting my beets, I regulated the machine so it might drop 

 considerably more seed than I wanted to grow. This I did from a 

 fear that the machine, like all others which have been Iried here, 

 would drop the seed irregularly ; but I found that my fears were al- 

 together unfounded ; so that where the seed was good, it apparently 

 all came up, producing a superabundance of plants, which occasioned 

 considerable labor at thinning out ; and this not being done so seasona- 

 bly, nor so thoroughly as it should have been, the yield was thereby evi- 

 dently somewhat diminished . I hoed twice ; the first time merely stir- 

 ring the ground between the drills, and killing the weeds ; and the 

 second time, with a horse and cultivator, followed with a hoe, thinning 

 where the plants were too thick, and transplanting in turneps, where the 

 seed proved poor. The tops of beets I fed to my milk cows, in the 

 fall, for which purpose I consider them valuable ; the roots I stored 

 to use for the same purpose in winter. 



From the experience I have had in raising these roots, I am well 

 satisfied that their cultivation for stock, particularly that of the beet 

 is an object worthy of increased attention. It will be observed that 

 the circumstances attending my experience in their culture the pre- 

 sent season, are in many respects quite unfavorable. For, as I have 

 before stated, I planted quite too late ; I used too much seed, and 



