857. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



545 



WILIAED'S PATENT EOOT-CUTTER. 



Several years since there was quite an animated 

 discussion in our columns on the question, " Wheth- 

 er it is profitable for the common farmer to raise 

 roots to feed to his stock T' Able and experienced 

 writers entered the lists on both sides, and the 

 discussion called out several important facts in re- 

 lation to' the various modes of culture, to the best 

 kind of roots, and to their comparative value with 

 other articles of food for stock. All were not con- 

 vincsd, by this discussion, of what we consider to 

 be a fact, viz.: That every person keeping one horse 

 or a single cow, can keep either better and cheap- 

 er, by using a portion of roots for their feed, than 

 by usmg hay and grain only. We take into con- 

 sideration three points, — the growth of the animal, 

 if young, the labor of the horse or the product of 

 the cow, and the health of each. Persons engaged 

 in rearing sheep, for the production of either wool 

 or mutton, find roots nearly indispensable to a 

 profitable result ; indeed, the turnip, in England, 

 i^ the article upon which sheep are fatted that pro- 

 duce mutton which is scarcely equalled by any oth- 

 er meat brought upon the table. We have fatted 

 a seven hundred cow upon thirty bushels of flat 

 turnips, with as much timothy hay as she would 

 eat during the time of eating the turnips. 



The labor in root-raising, however, must be done 



as far as possible by the aid of a light horse and 

 suitable implements. 



Another objection to raising roots, has been in 

 the labor required to get them in proper condition 

 to feed to horses, oxen and cows, and especially to 

 sheep and calves. Mr. Campbell, of Westminster 

 West, Vt., who rarely winters less than five hun- 

 dred sheep, recently informed us that he found 

 roots indispensable, but that the process of reduc- 

 ing them to a proper size and shape to be fed to 

 the sheep, was nearly sufficient to discourage him 

 from cultivating the crop. He and his brother, re- 

 sorted to various devices to accomplish this, but it 

 was not until they had experimented many years 

 that they found a machine that would answer the 

 purpose desired. At length, they found the cutter 

 which is represented by the engraving at the head 

 of this article ; it was in a rude and imperfect state, 

 but their practice soon suggested such improve- 

 ments as have brought it into one of the most ef- 

 Jective and satisfactory juachines that we have ever 

 seen on the farm ! When we say that any common 

 farm-hand possessing the ordinary strength of a 

 man, can cut twenty five bushels of turnips in a sin- 

 gle hour with it, and cut them fine, too, we believe 

 we are entirely within proper limits. We can cut a 

 bushel of turnips in two minutes easily with it. 



