128 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



May 29tli, cross-ploughed eight inches deep ; harrowed and 

 dragged the whole of the lots. 



May oOth, sowed Orange carrot-seed at the rate of one 

 pound to the acre. The carrots were truckle-hoed three 

 times, and hand-weeded twice, during the season, which kept 

 them clean of weeds. 



November 14th, harvested the crop, which resulted as 

 follows : — 



No. 1, 2,716 lbs., at the rate of 21 tons, 1,440 lbs. per acre. 



2, 2,660 " " 21 560 " " 



3, 2,950 " " 23 1,200 " " 



4, 2,690 " " 21 1,040 " " 



5, 2,755 " " 22 80 " " 



6, 3,220 " " 25 1,520 " " 



The important facts that seem to be established by the result 

 of this experiment are — 



First. That for potatoes it is better to spread the manure, 

 and plough it in four inches, tlian any other depth, or to apply- 

 ing the manure in the furrow and putting the seed on it — the 

 reason of which I think is that all the growth of the potato 

 plant and of the new tubers is above the seed planted ; hence 

 manure placed below the seed is quite or nearly out of the 

 natural reach of the plant; but let the manure be placed above 

 the seed, and the growth of rootlets and tubers is among the 

 enriched soil ; the plant draws its nourishment directly from it ; 

 and at every hoeing the enriched soil is thrown directly about 

 the plant, which causes new rootlets and tubers to put forth. 



Secondly. That one-third of the virtue of manure is retained 

 in the ground after a potato crop, for the next year's crop. For 

 a crop of mangels, and probal)ly other gross feeding plants, tiie 

 advantage of heavy manuring over no manure is over one hun- 

 dred per cent., or in other woi'ds a crop without manure may 

 not pay expenses, when a cro]) highly manured would be very 

 profitable. 



Thirdly. That there is no perceptible virtue of manure left 

 in the land the third year for a croj) of carrots, though I think 

 it would prove otherwise with some other crops; and that 

 there is no advantage in high manuring, shown by this experi- 

 ment, for a crop of carrots, as the increase in the ciop is com- 

 paratively small, although the growth of tops was very much 



