34 BOARD. OF AGRICULTURE. 



average yield of potatoes is about one hundred bushels to the 

 acre, for the past year. They are usually planted, since the 

 rot commenced, on dryish land, and without manure." 



In Middlesex : — " Not so many potatoes cultivated now as 

 formerly, on account of the rot." 



And in anotlier part of the county, a correspondent writes : 

 " Potatoes do not yield more than half as many bushels as 

 they did from thirty to fifty years ago. From one hundred to 

 one hundred and fifty bushels to the acre, for seven years past, 

 have been as many as old lands would average. A neighbor 

 told me that he produced, in 1852, five hundred bushels to the 

 acre on reclaimed swamp land, where the mud was from two 

 to ten feet deep — an inducement for others to try to do like- 

 wise." 



It must be evident that the potato crop has not only greatly 

 diminished in quantity throughout the State, the decrease being 

 caused, no doubt, by a want of confidence in it, and a conse- 

 quent disinclination to cultivate it; but the yield, per acre, 

 where it is still planted, is much less than it was ten or twelve 

 years ago. The yield in Great Barrington, for instance, fifteen 

 years ago, is stated to have ranged from one hundred and 

 seventy-five to three hundred and twenty bushels to the acre, 

 while it is returned by reliable men as having been only about 

 one hundred bushels for the past season. The same differ- 

 ence is found in many other towns, and the returns generally 

 confirm the opinion expressed above. 



Root Crops. 

 A striking feature in the present state of our agriculture, is 

 neglect of the root crops as farm products. In some sections, 

 it is true, a few fields of carrots, turnips, onions, or mangel- 

 wurzel, are to be found, but they are not often seen to any 

 extent, and for the most part, farmers raise them only in suffi- 

 cient quantities to supply the family wants. It seems impos- 

 sible that this neglect can arise from ignorance of the value of 

 root crops as food for cattle. It is well known that the fatten- 

 ing properties of some of tlie roots, are very considerable, as is 

 also the effect which they have in increasing the quantity of 

 milk given, while their occasional substitution for the fodder 



