200 [Senate 



Mr. Thorburn's " Dickson's improved ruta baga," may be safely and 

 highly recommended to any cultivator of the root. The bulbs are solid 

 and large, (we weighed several of from 12 h to 15 lbs. weight and the av- 

 erage was about 5,) the stems are short and free from the woodiness 

 common to other ruta bagas, being fully as soft as the bulbs. They 

 appear to be little liable to the attacks of worms, and to escape en- 

 tirely the hollow-heartedness which commonly exists in roots of large 

 size. In feeding out some 300 bushels, we have not yet found a 

 single hollow-hearted one. The crop was viewed in October by the 

 County Committee on farms and said by them to be the best they had 

 ever seen ; they estimated them at 2,000 bushels. The crop would 

 have been better had the ground been subsoiled, a little bone dust 

 put into the drills, and a full stand obtained at the first planting. I 

 believe that upwards of 1,500 bushels may be raised on an acre. My 

 estimates of the expense of cultivation, are taken correctly from my 

 journal and wages book ; the hoeing was a very slight task, very few 

 weeds appearing ; the chief of it was the thinning out the superflu- 

 ous plants. My way of harvesting I believe to be the cheapest pos- 

 sible. On the 4th Nov. we harvested, as per statement, 835 bushels, 

 pitting the greater part of them, and carting the rest one quarter of 

 a mile. Our force on that day was 5 men, 2 boys and a yoke of cat- 

 tle, at an expense, including board, and 12s. for the cattle, of $5.04. 



MR. brown's statement. 



Statement by Randolph Brown, of H. S. Randall's crop of Ruta 

 Bagas, yielding 8^0 bushels per acre, and which drew the second 

 premium of the State Society, as fully authenticated by witnesses. 



In the early part of June, 1844, I carefully measured with a sur- 

 veyors's chain and staked out one acre of land on the farm of H. S. 

 Randall, for the purpose of preparing it for a crop of ruta bagas. 



The soil was a dry loam. It had been a meadow until the prece- 

 ding year, when it was broken up and sown to oats. The stubble 

 was turned under in the fall. On the I8th of April, 1844, it was 

 again plowed and harrowed. On the 10th of June succeeding, it re- 

 ceived a deep plowing, with narrow furrow slices, and was harrowed 

 down smooth. Furrows were then struck, say six inches deep, and 

 as near as might be, two feet and two inches apart. Sixty-two loads 

 of manure were then thrown into the furrows, but these were small 

 loads, to prevent cutting up the earth which was very mellow. The 

 furrows, after being filled with manure, were covered by turning a 

 furrow on them each way , with a very small plow. The ridges thus 

 formed above the furrows were raked down with a hand rake, to 

 level them properly for the reception of the seed, and to remove the 

 clods, stones, &c. The seed was drilled on the 11th, 12th and 13th 

 of June, as the ridges were made ready. The weather being dry for 

 a few days succeeding planting, and the seed employed to some ex- 

 tent defective, the plants came up thin, and in some places were en- 



