154 BOARD OP AGRICULTURE. 



cultural reports embody about all our information upon it, and 

 they are accessible to almost every one. But it is worth some- 

 thing, perhaps, to make a declaration of belief. There is cer- 

 tainly a want of faith in the cultivation of root crops generally, 

 and it is necessary for us occasionally to make our declaration 

 of belief in their utility. It is worth something to impress this 

 fact upon the minds of those who hear me ; as much so as it is 

 necessary for the minister, though he may have nothing particu- 

 larly new to say from Sabbath to Sabbath, to repeat the old 

 truths, until he shall impress them upon the minds of the com- 

 munity. Therefore I want to express my hearty belief in the 

 utility and value of the root crop for cultivation. I do not 

 believe that roots are cultivated half enough. We admit the 

 importance of this crop in one particular, at least. It cannot be 

 denied that the potato crop, at least, is of great importance, 

 when we know that a few years since a whole people came very 

 near starvation on account of the failure of that crop. It would 

 be a superfluous work for me to attempt to convince the farmers 

 of Essex County that they ought to raise potatoes. Every man 

 must have his field of potatoes as much as his field of corn or 

 his grass field. If I could claim that I had some plan of raising 

 the potato by which the crop would be increased one-quarter or 

 one-third, I have no doubt I should be listened to with interest, 

 whether I made out my case or not. But I do not propose to 

 speak of the potato crop, because it is unnecessary to impress 

 upon the people the necessity of raising it ; and I suppose the 

 object of the discussion to-day is more particularly to show the 

 value of roots as stock feed. 



I alluded to the want of faith in the value of the crop. There 

 are certain objections in the minds of people to the more exten- 

 sive cultivation of roots, and one of those objections is the 

 uncertainty of the crop ; and I have no doubt there is some- 

 thing in it. You go among the farmers and inquire why they 

 do not raise carrots, or turnips, or ruta-bagas, or beets, and they 

 will tell you they do not succeed with them — that they do not 

 pay. Their experience, perhaps, may have been very similar to 

 what mine has been within the last eight or ten years. Some 

 eight or ten years since I went on to a new place. I had 

 always been used to raising roots, more or less, and I was the 

 more anxious to do so then, because I wanted to break up land, 



