9fi 



more or less aid from tlie ploug"h. I iind Allen's potato dig- 

 ger, Avhich is a modification of the double mould board plough, 

 a capital labor saving implement in potato digging. When I 

 first tested it I feared it would bruise the potatoes badly ; but 

 to my surprise it did not on the average bruise one to a cart- 

 load. I have had it tested on good loam, on rough, ledgy hill- 

 side, and on bog meadow ; it did the best of work, and about 

 equally well in each instance. I put two good hands digging 

 beside it on bog meadow, and found that with one person 

 to drive the horses and one to hold the machine, it did the- 

 work of twelve men, cutting and bruising next to no potatoes,, 

 while the best of diggers will always cut more or Icsis, and 

 some hands a quarter of what they dig ; particularly if the po- 

 tatoes are of large size and long in shape. I had fear lest a 

 large portion of the crop would be covered by the earth thrown 

 up by the machine ; but by digging every other row on the 

 piece and teaming them off before tlic remainder of the piece 

 is dug, there are certainly no more lost, and probably less,, 

 than by common hand digging. The implement requires two 

 horses and can be readily managed by any man vrho CAcr held 

 a plough. By careful figuring I found I cleared its cost every 

 two days, Avhen in use. I confidently advise every farmer 

 Av^io grows an acre of potatoes in drills, to buy one of these 

 diggers. The price is sixteen dollars ; it can be procured of 

 Ames & Co., and probably other dealers in Boston. 



Patrick Kieley raised a very nice crop of liuta Bagas, for 

 table use, which appeared to be of the London Swede variety.. 

 I must take issue with him on some of the details of the cost 

 of raising the crop : — Should not Avant to contract to plough 

 a half acre of land three times and harroAv tAvice, for less than 

 tAvelve dollars ; and could not spread butter a ery thick on. 

 l)read at that price. 



The Onion crop of Mr. Joseph N, llolfe Avas Avorth going a 

 long journey to see. Of the Danvers variety the strain was 

 rounder than is usually groAvn, running almost hito the " goose- 

 egg " shape, a kind that gives the lai-gcst crop Avhen you get 



