46 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



clay bottom, with a few small rocks on each side, so that the 

 water would filter in. The drain did not average two feet 

 deep on account of the little fall I had. I prefer boards to 

 tile on account of frost. The cost of hemlock boards is ten 

 dollars per thousand feet. They have been proved to last 

 underground twenty-five years. I have found them to work 

 admirably so far. I drained about four acres this way. The 

 land before drained grew nothing but wild swamp-grass, and 

 now about four tons and a half to the acre of splendid herd's- 

 grass and red clover. 



We raise sugar-beets solely for cows, and I consider them 

 very valuable compared with the coarse mangolds. The 

 amount of milk is much larger, and of better quality as I 

 have proved. 



I have not had them analyzed for sugar, but should think 

 the percentage was larger than I saw stated in " The Massa- 

 chusetts Ploughman " of last week, as an average ; for they 

 are solid, close-grained, and very sweet, the pure article, 

 which I am happy to say I have always had. 



I have been very successful in improving old sod-land of 

 twenty-five years down, by ploughing deep in October, and 

 laying down to grass again just before the ground freezes 

 up, late in November, so that the seed will not germinate 

 before spring. I think it is as good as cropping it with culi- 

 nary vegetables, sapping the ground again, and encouraging 

 weeds. 



It is a little more work to grade it down right. My sys- 

 tem, after ploughing, is to manure with barnyard-manure (six 

 cords to the acre) wheel-harrowed in ; then brush-harrow the 

 seed, so that the grass gets the best of the weeds before the 

 warm weather of the next summer. I have raised four tons 

 to the acre by following this way. I consider the old sod I 

 turned doAvn after rotting is a pretty good manure of itself. 

 I think top-dressing old sod-land with barnyard-manure is 

 almost like throwing money away, compared with working 

 in the manure after ploughing. After the ground is down a 

 year, a top-dressing of sea-manure works splendidly, espe- 

 cially on low land ; the more wet on the surface, the better 

 for it. 



I prefer horse and cow manure mixed, if the animals are 

 grained well, which makes the good ingredients. 



