1859. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



283 



good example will long be fresh in the memory 

 of those who knew him, and continue a blessing 

 to the world. 



Fur the New Enf^land Farmer. 

 CORN VERSUS ROOTS. 



I am really fearful lest you should be wearied 

 with communications upon the subject of "ii'oo^ 

 Crops," notwithstanding I feel under obligations 

 to reply to a few additional queries relating to 

 this matter, proposed to me in the last Farmer 

 by Mr. Brigiiam, of Westboro'. 



In referring to ruta bagas, he inquires as to 

 their value when compared to cornj and instan- 

 ces his raising a crop of bagas. ti'i- the rate of 

 1000 bushels per acre, and thinJii? he realized 

 less profit therefrom, than he did from a crop of 

 corn 75 bushels to the acre. 



In reply I would say that so far as my experi- 

 ence goes, an acre of land that will give 75 bush- 

 els shelled corn, ought, all things being equal, to 

 give 1200 bushels bagas, i. e., this would not be 

 a more extravagant yield. The crop of bagas 

 would weigh, at 60 pounds to the bushel, 20 tons 

 — the crop of corn, at 60 lbs. to the bushel, would 

 be 2^ tons, a very large difference here — about 13 

 times the amount in weight. And as to feeding 

 properties, will any one doubt but what one bush- 

 el of bagas, weighing 60 pounds, will go as far in 

 producing milk or making beef, as 2^ quarts, or 

 5 pounds, of corn ? 



Indeed, every one who has had any experience 

 in feeding the two, cannot but see at once that 

 facts and figures are vastly in favor of the roots. 



The truth is, that when judiciously cultivated, 

 we obtain such enormous crops of the esculents 

 that they cannot but be profitable, even (I was 

 about to say,) if they are not worth much. A man 

 can hardly raise 20 or 30 tons of bagas or carrots 

 from an acre, and feed them to his stock proper- 

 ly, without their telling to advantage, both in his 

 facilities for keeping stock, (and we know it is 

 an established axiom, ''the more stock the better 

 farmer,") and also adding greatly to the compost 

 heap ; which last should always be taken into 

 account when rating the usefulness of any crop. 



Mr. Brigham, at the close of his article, refers 

 to the labor of feeding roots. Sure I am that 

 this cannot be great, with the use of a good root 

 cutter that will readily slice a bushel a minute — 

 an implement indispensable to every one using 

 roots in any shape. Wm. J. Pettee. 



Salisbury, Ct., 1859. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 BARN CELLARS FOR MANURES. 



There is, in my opinion, no place better to man- 

 ufacture our compost manure, than in a barn cel- 

 lar. 1 think I have the means of judging, as I 

 have had some fifteen years' experience in ma- 

 king and using manure without, and about fif- 

 teen years with, the benefit of a barn cellar, for 

 the purpose of composting. 



In the first place, the liquid, as well as the 

 solid droppings from the cattle, can all be saved 

 by having it composted with meadow mud and 

 loam, of which there must be a good supply in 

 the cellar, so that it can be ready at all times to 



mix with the droppings. Much of the work may 

 be done in rainy or stormy dnys ; this I consider 

 to be quite a saving to the farmer. 



In a barn cellar, the compost heap can be kept 

 in a right temperature. If it is not sufficiently 

 moist, water, suds or sIojjs from the house may 

 be turned upon it to keep it sufficiently wet, and 

 no more. 



Manure managed as above, can receive no 

 damage from drying, or fire-fanging. as some 

 say it will in a barn cellar. Again, it is not wast- 

 ed by the winds and drenching rains, as it would 

 be if out in the open weather. 



Another advantage is, it can be carted out up- 

 on grass lands in the fall or winter season, and 

 on soft meadows, while they are frozen, and 

 where manure cannot be conveniently carted on 

 at any other time. 



I think the best place to keep manure, is in 

 the barn cellar, until it is wanted for immediate 

 use, although it is almost a universal practice in 

 this region to draw out their manure in the fall, 

 and lay it in piles for spring use. I think in so 

 doing, the manure must lose much of its strength. 



CordaviUe, Marcli, 1859. James Hawes. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 NEW ARRANGEMENTS FOR A BARN. 



Mr. Editor : — The barn I propose to build, 

 will be from eighty to one hundred feet square, 

 with a cellar under the whole ; the cellar to be 

 ten feet high or more ; if possible, the lights and 

 entrance on the south side. I propose to have 

 a good and separate pen for each horse, cow and 

 work-ox, the pen to be twel-. e by twelve feet, well 

 fenced, the feed to be dropped from the barn above, 

 through apertures made for the purpose. As 

 soon as the weather will permit, I propose to haul 

 in as much dry soil and swamp muck as I possi- 

 bly can, so as to have it ready to commence my 

 winter's work. As soon as I turn my stock into 

 their pens, or rat'er a little before, I will put in- 

 to each pen as much swamp muck and soil as will 

 cover the entire surface one foot deep, all ovt r, 

 or one hundred and forty-four square feet ; aid 

 as soon as the trees drop their leaves, gather 

 them with brakes, for litter to cover the s<il 

 lightly, two or three times per week ; and once a 

 week, when the stock has trodden and trampled 

 the whole mass well, take a shovel and turn the 

 whole upside down ; repeat this operation for 

 four weeks ; then remove the manure thus made 

 to a suitable part of the cellar. Again fill your 

 pens as before, and repeat the operation. The 

 stock must be simply turned into their separate 

 apartments, without any tying of any kind. I 

 turn them in loose, but take care to secure the 

 doors of the pens so as to avoid any mischief re- 

 sulting from their getting together. I also pro- 

 pose to cut and steam all the hay and other feed. 

 or a great part of it. I mean to follow out the 

 same plan in summer, by turning the stock in at 

 night, instead of yarding them, as we have done 

 before, so that I may make one-half as much 

 manure in summer as in winter. By this system 

 I expect to save all the liquid and solid marure 

 that the stock will make. I shall also have all the 

 salts, &c., pertaining to the same, absorbed by 

 the soil. John H. CoNbTANTiNE. 



Cartipton Village, N. //., 1859. 



