98 AGRICULTURAL REPORT. 



■weed?, and in getting them out there was a hirge quantity of leaves Lroken off, 

 Avhich he raked out. On another part of the tield he did not go, and those roots 

 continued to grow late and large, when, upon the first-mentioned piece where 

 he had raked out the weeds and leaves of the mangolds, they stopped growing 

 and seemed to look like hlasting, and never recovered their usual bright green 

 and thrifty look. I can say the same in cultivating late in the season among 

 the roots generally; it injures their growth, breaks down and bruises the leaves, 

 and causes them to blast and grow brown, from which they never recover. 



TURNIPS. 



The most valuable crop of the root kind, I think, is the Swedes or ruta- 

 baga, but the most difficult root to keep in large quantities, unless one has a 

 barn cellar well ventilated. They are quite a sure crop; do not need quite as 

 rich ground as the mangolds. They will grow to a very large size, and more 

 weight to an acre than any other crop of roots ; are better adapted to feeding to 

 sheep and young cattle than to cows that are in milk. The seed needs to be 

 sown early in June, using about one pound to the acre, in drills at least two 

 feet apart, and, if the ground is rich, not less than one foot in the rows. When 

 they first come up, or soon after, when the plants are small, it is a good prac- 

 tice to take common wood ashes and sprinkle them all along in the rows and 

 on the plants. There is sometimes a small fly that will destroy a whole field 

 of them, but I have never been troubled with them, using ashes, as above de- 

 scribed, when my neighbors complained that " the fly " had eaten theii-s all 

 up, and they were obliged to plough up their ground and sow to something che; 

 and the same I can say of using ashes on my beets. 



A sandy or gravelly loam is the best adapted to the growing of this root. It 

 should be well ploughed, harrowed, rolled, and made free from lumps. The 

 manure should be well worked over and made fine before using it, and then if 

 well ploughed in, harrowed, then cross-ploughed, it will surely increase the 

 crop. The ruta-baga should be treated, in the season of its growing, like the 

 mangold. Many careless men think it no harm to jam through a field of roots, 

 corn, or potatoes, stepping on the hills, breaking down the stalks, &c., leaving 

 their mark as they go. It does the growing crop a great deal of injury. Those 

 young and tender jjlants cannot stand such harsh treatment, and flourish and 

 yield a good crop. The ruta-baga has more fattening quality in it than any of 

 the root kind. They will fatten a bullock quicker and cheaper than anything 

 else, not excepting grain. The meat will be more juicy and tender. The best 

 piece of beef, I think, I ever had was from a three-year-old heifer, fed with 

 these roots ; after coming up from the pasture in the fall in good condition, 

 feeding twice a day upon roots and what hay she would cat. She Avas fed in 

 this way till within two weeks of the time of slaughtering her ; then she was 

 fed upon corn-meal and less roots till the last week; then she was fed upon 

 clear meal and hay. Being fed in this way the last part of her life, prevented 

 the turnips from imparting any unpleasant flavor to the meat. If our New 

 England farmers would plant only a small piece for this crop, for this especial 

 purpose, they would find their beef fattening better and at less expense. I in- 

 tend growing enough of ruta-baga the coming season to f^xtten all the beef and 

 mutton that I shall want to turn in the fall and winter. The fattening of ani- 

 mals in the winter, and keeping them late, till February and March, without 

 giving them much grain, and getting a high price for them, as is usual at that 

 season of the year, makes it a paying business in the matter of dollars and 

 cents ; and then, too, the manure made from these animals is of great importance 

 to the farmer, and he will find his account in the practice. 



PLAT OR ENGLISH TURNIPS. 



My experience in growing the flat turnip has always been satisfactory. They 

 are grown in drills, and large crops are gathered ; but my usual practice has 



