48 



Root Culture. — Lime in Planting Trees. 



Vol. VL 



For the Fanners' Cabinet. 



Root Culture. 



Mr. Editor, — I have noticed with regret 

 from various rjiiartcrs, a flagiring' in relation 

 to tiie cultivation of roots for the use of stock ; 

 tiome suppose corn a more profitable crop; 

 but as I have succeeded toloralily well in the 

 cultivation and feeding of roots, I iiave drawn 

 a different conclusion, and apprehend that 

 if any have been discourafjed, it was for the 

 want of better experience. I will, there- 

 fore, venture a few hints, for the consider- 

 ation of those, who may be disposed to 

 try their success the next year. Select a 

 piece of wreensward or clover-lay, suitable for 

 raising corn — (beets, parsneps and carrots, 

 will bear a more tenacious soil than turnips) 

 — spread upon it at the rate of 20 loads of 

 coarse manure to the acre in the fall, then 

 turn it under as deep as you can plough, lap- 

 ping the furrows at an angle of about 45 de- 

 grees. The next thing, prepare a compost 

 EufRcient for 20 loads to the acre, let it be 

 well stirred and decomposed by the 1st of 

 l\Iny following. As soon as the ground is in 

 a suitable state in the spring, harrow it well 

 lengtliwise of the furrows, and again in about 

 a week crosswise, if it will bear it without 

 disturbing the clods; otherwi.se, harrow it di- 

 agonally until a mellow tilth is raised and all 

 the interstices are filled and the field smooth. 

 About the 1st of iMay, spread your compost, 

 20 loads to the acre, and harrow it in; and 

 about the lOth, in this latitude, lightly ridge 

 the land about 8 feet apart — that is, back two 

 furrows together — and plant your beets, car- 

 rots and parsneps, by hand. Four weeks af- 

 ter, keeping the ground well harrowed, pre- 

 pare your ground in the same manner for rnta 

 bagas, and sow liiem with a drill-harrow; — 

 I have Mekchant's, which cost me $:i, and 

 it works to a charm. Half a potmd of good 

 feed sows an acre quite thick enough. I use 

 before sowing, a coarse iron rake drawn light- 

 ly over the top of the ridges lengtliwise, to 

 remove any small stones, turfs, &c. So soon 

 as the roots can be seen distinctly, run a 

 plough lightly between the rows, turning the 

 furrows//o/n the plants; and in a day or two, 

 contract the cultivator or dressing-harrow and 

 pass it once or twice between the rows, im- 

 mediately following with the hoe to stir the 

 ground and destroy every weed around the 

 plants, thinning the thick clusters and trans- 

 planting whore they arc missing. A sprink- 

 ling of ashes is now beneficial and very ne- 

 cessary on the turnips, if the flies have made 

 their appearance. In about a week aftpr, run 

 the cultivator through again, and if weeds are 

 nprouting, follow again with the lioe and nf- 

 tf-'rly destroy them. Indeed, the success of 

 root-crops depends much on the early destruc- 



tion of the weeds and thinning the plants. 

 If they are all suflered to grow together until 

 they nearly cover the ground, it will be more 

 work to dress them once, than the whole cul- 

 tivation of the crop, if taken in season and 

 thoroughly managed, besides the loss of more 

 than half "the produce. I apprehend that this 

 is the venj point where persons generally are 

 discouraged in cultivating roots. I estimate 

 the expense of cultivating one acre of roots, 

 judiciously, about equal to two acres of corn; 

 and I will add, what I consider a good course 

 to follow : plant the next year, early corn, — 

 I use the Connecticut eight-rowed yellow, 

 long-eared, 10 to 12 inches, small cob and 

 very heavy ; ripens two weeks earlier than 

 the Jersey corn, and 1 have found it as pro- 

 ductive. I have now on the ground succeed- 

 ing roots, a promising crop, that may be fit 

 to cut up by the first week in September, and 

 then I shall sow Mediterranean wheat this 

 fall, seeding with grass in the spring. Two 

 hoed crops give a better chance to thoroughly 

 pulverize the soil and destroy foul weeds. 

 While gathering my roots last fall, I weighed 

 and measured half a dozen white Silesian 

 beets, the best I could select. The average 

 weight of six was 19^ lbs. each, the average 

 circumference 22;| inches, the average length 

 about 2 feet. 1 fed for some weeks, with 

 these kind of beets, an animal I was fatten- 

 ing, and he put on flesh during the time be- 

 yond my expectation. My hogs have done 

 well principally on roots in the winter, and 

 cows have doubled their milk. 



Yours, respectfully, 



David L. Dodge. 



C.'d.nr Brook, Plainfield, N. J., 

 August eo, 1^41. 



Lime in Planting Trees* 



An English paper say.s that a large planta- 

 tion of trees, within the last few years, has 

 hvm formed without the loss of a single tree, 

 and this has been achieved by a simple pro- 

 cess ; it is merely putting a small quantity of 

 lime in the hole with the plant. About four 

 bushels of lime will suffice for an acre. It 

 must he thoroughly mixed and incorporated 

 with the mould before the plant is inserted. 

 'I'lie cifect of lime is to push on the growth 

 of the plant in the first precarious state; new 

 fibres betjin to form and ramify from the tap- 

 root, and not only is the safi'ty insured, but 

 its growth is advanced in double ratio. There 

 existed at first an apprehension that liming 

 tiie plant would tierce it prematurely, but this 

 apprehension is proved to have been ground- 

 less. 



The highest cultivation and the greatest 

 investment of capital and labour upon a given 

 quantity of land, afford the greatest profit. 



