242 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



Hoeing, twice, $5 00 



Harvesting, which is not done, estimated, . . . 2 50 



$20 26 



October 21st, I harvested one average rod of the turnips, 

 which weighed two hundred and thirty-six pounds, making 



6 74 If bushels. 



Statement of Seth Sprague. 



Carrots. — The quarter of an acre of land entered by me for 

 premium on carrots, is a sandy loam, and was in carrots last 

 year. I spread six ox-cart loads of stable manure, ploughed 

 eight inches deep; spread one hundred pounds Permian guano, 

 prepared with thirty bushels of peat or swamp mud, which was 

 well harrowed in ; hand-raked, and planted with a seed-sower 

 the first week in May, with the Orange carrot, in rows, fourteen 

 inches apart ; thinned at weeding to four and six inches in the 

 rows. On the 22d instant, dug one square rod, a fair average 

 of the field, which weighed three hundred and eighteen pounds, 

 which, at fifty-six pounds to the bushel, is two hundred and 

 twenty-seven bushels — nine hundred and eight bushels to 

 the acre. 



The expense of cultivating, exclusive of the guano and 

 manure, was twenty dollars, perhaps something more ; as weeds 

 were plenty and vigorous, we bestowed extra labor. 



Beets. — The quarter of an acre of land of beets, entered 

 by me for a premium, is a sandy loam, moist but not wet ; was 

 cropped with beets last year. Spread six cart-loads stable ma- 

 nure, ploughed it about eight inches deep. It was subsoiled 

 last year. I spread one hundred pounds Peruvian guano, pre- 

 pared with thirty bushels peat or swamp mud, which was well 

 harrowed in; hand-raked, and planted with a seed-sower, the 

 first week in May, with mangel wurzel, in rows two feet 

 apart, and thinned to one foot in the rows. On the 22d inst. 

 selected one square rod, in two places ; gathered and weighed 

 the product, three hundred and twelve bushels and a half to 

 the quarter acre, or one thousand two hundred and fifty bush- 

 els to the acre. The growth was vigorous in the early part of 



