ON ROOT CROPS. 107 



sound potatos than others, cannot be doubted : and when the 

 chemical constituents that favor such a growth shall be ascer- 

 tained, possibly combinations of soil may be formed that shall 

 ensure successful culture. 



On the gronnds of Lyman Mason, near West Beach, in Bev- 

 erly, the atten .ion of the committee was called to a field of 

 CABBACES, containing about one and a half acres, the handsom- 

 est they ever saw. It was level land, a loamy soil, had been 

 in grass, ploughed the eighth of May, about eight inches deep, 

 harrowed, furrowed in rows three and a half feet apart, and 

 manured with a mixture of barn manure and leached ashes, ap- 

 plying four cords to the acre, well mixed, placed in the rows. 

 The seed was planted in hills, about the 20th of June. When 

 grown sufficiently large to hoe, they were ihinned to one in a 

 hill, and the vacant hills were supplied by transplanting, so 

 that the growth was uniform throughout the field. When we 

 saw the field, the proprietor challenged us to find a missing 

 plant, or one on which a head would not be perfectly formed. 

 The whole were as near alike as so many peas. From this 

 field s-^ven thousand five hundred and twenty have been sold 

 for sixty cents a dozen ; one fourth part of the cabbages are still 

 in the field, — .this would make nine thousand on the lot, or 

 six thousand to the acre, which at sixty cents per dozen, would 

 make the produce amount to three hundred dollars per acre. 

 These facts are furnished the committee by Mr. Aaron Dodge, 

 who ascertained them by conversation with Mr, Mason. Mr. 

 Mason is one of those cultivators who has very little respect 

 for book knowledge, and consequently is not free to communi- 

 cate. The committee have so much regard for his culture, as 

 to recommend a gratuity of six dollars, equal to the highest 

 premium for any root crop. Having discoursed so long, like 

 other preachers, we will close by a few practical remarks. 



1st. To succeed in Root culture, a full supply of manure 

 must be secured, well mixed, and in good condition to mingle 

 with the soil. 



2d. The land must be ploughed deep, and completely pul- 

 verized. 



3d. Weeds must not be suffered to grow. And although 

 we have seen some fields of large crops, with the weeds over- 



