ROOT CROPS. 



163 



329 bushels. As will be seen, the crop is not presented as a 

 crop for fodder purposes, for in that case they would have 

 been planted as early as frost left the ground, and have been 

 thinned to a distance of eight or ten inches apart in the rows. 

 By planting them very early on a rich soil, I have grown the 

 early blood turnip beet to weigh from ten to twenty pounds 

 and reach the size of a half-bushel measure. This crop is 

 presented as an excellent yield for beets of a size suitable for 

 table use. The following shows the cost : — 



Manure and spreading, 

 Ploughing, harrowing, and raking, 

 Seed and planting, . 

 Three slidings, .... 

 Three weedings, 

 Pulling and topping, 

 Harvesting, .... 

 Use of land, .... 



Total, 



DEERFIELD VALLEY. 



Statement of E. L. Mason. 



Potatoes. — The piece of potatoes which I enter for pre- 

 mium consisted of three acres of meadow-land. The crop 

 grown upon it in the years 1873-4 was hay. One-half of it 

 was ploughed in the foil of 1874, the remainder in the spring 

 of 1875. That ploughed in the foil was manured in the spring 

 and the manure harrowed in. On the remainder the manure 

 was spread broadcast and ploughed under about eight inches 

 in depth. The soil was heavy loam. I experimented with 

 Bradley's phosphate, lime-ashes and wood-ashes, using these 

 separately and in the hill, and on another part used no fer- 

 tilizer in the hill. I planted my potatoes on the 25th of May, 

 and furrowed for the rows '2\ feet apart, distance of hills fif- 

 teen inches; cut my potatoes (which were Early Rose) in 

 pieces, using two and three eyes to the hill. I would state 

 that where I used phosphate the yield was best, lime-ashes 

 next. The potatoes were better upon the land that was 

 ploughed in the spring, than upon that ploughed in the fall. 



