No. 8. 



Manuring Root Crops ivith their tops. 



251 



From the New England Farmer. 

 Manuring^ Root Crops with their tops. 



Mr. Breck, — In a former communication 

 to your paper, I promised to give the result 

 of an experiment which I was induced to 

 make from the suggestion or experience of 

 one of your correspondents. He said that 

 " if the tops of several kinds of root crops 

 were left on the ground where they grew, 

 that the next crop of the same kind would 

 be as good as the preceding, and so on from 

 year to year, without a resort to rotation." 



After harvesting a piece of carrots in 1842, 

 the tops were thrown into heaps and covered 

 with dirt. .In the spring, the heaps were 

 spread evenly over th'e ground and ploughed 

 in with the manure for another crop of car- 

 rots. The ground, each year, was first 

 planted with onions, and about six weeks 

 after, planted again with carrots. In 1842, 

 the onion crop was almost a failure, from 

 planting old seed, which gave the carrots a 

 better chance. The present year, the on- 

 ions did well, and yielded at the rate of 296 

 bushels an acre, more than the former crop, 

 while the carrots fell short 156 bushels an 

 acre. The last carrots, either by some de- 

 fect in the seed, or planting, did not come 

 up well ; spaces of several feet in every 

 row were missing. I also suffered more 

 vines to grow among them this year than 

 last; and then a very severe drought last 

 summer had a tendency to lessen the crop. 

 Considering all the disadvantages, the yield 

 was good; the roots were as large and 

 smoother than the former crop, which, I 

 have no doubt, with the same chance, would 

 have been heavier. So that, on the whole, 

 the experiment has strengthened my faith 

 in the efficacy of the application of the tops 

 to the succeeding crop, and convinced me 

 that they restore to the soil a portion of that 

 specific food which the former crop had ex- 

 hausted. 



A statement of the produce of the same 

 piece of ground for 1842, was inserted last 

 winter in the New England Farmer, which 

 was said to be a good crop, but as it has 

 given a better yield this year, I will briefly 

 state the expense of cultivation, together 

 with the quantity and value of the crop. 



The spot of land is a little island on a 

 marsh, that contains one-fourth part of an 

 acre. Soil rather sandy, very free and easy 

 to work, and but little inclined to weeds. 

 Fifteen single horse-loads of hog-pen and 

 barn-yard manure were ploughed in, and 

 twenty bushels of ashes worked in with a 

 rake. On the 14th of April, nine ounces of 

 onion seed were planted in rows two feet 

 apart. After hoeing twice, eight ounces of 



carrot seed were planted the 1st day of .Tune, 

 between the rows of onions, and the whole 

 hoed twice more. Sold ninety-one bushels 

 of onions by measure, and reserved two bar- 

 rels. The carrots were sold by weight, 

 104| bushels, and put 42^ bushels, by mea- 

 sure, in my cellar. I also raised on the 

 same spot, 1870 lbs. winter squashes, and 

 1260 lbs. citron melons. Sold 1085 lbs. of 

 squashes at one cent a pound, and a part of 

 the citrons at the same price. Kept no par- 

 ticular account of the citrons — they were 

 not saleable : gave away more than I sold. 

 Paid fifty cents a load for the manure, and 

 twelve and a half cents a bushel for the 

 ashes. 



The proceeds of the crop and expense of 

 cultivation stand thus : 



Produce. 



96 bushels of onions, at. 40 cents. §38 40 

 147 do. carrots, at 17 " 24 99 



3,130 lbs. squashes and citrons, at i ct. 15 65 



Amount of crop, $79 04 



Expense. 



Manure, including ashes, #10 00 



Onion and carrot seed, 94 



19i days labour, at 75 cts. 14 62 



4^ do. do. horse, at 75 cts. 3 38 



Cost of cultivation, $28 94 



Net profits of i acre, $50 10 



The crop of 1842, was 20 bushels of on- 

 ions, 186 bushels of carrots, and about 1000 

 lbs. of squashes, not weighed. 



The most correct way of trying the ex- 

 periment with the root tops, would be to 

 confine the ground to one kind of crop, but 

 when I was reminded of it by your corres- 

 pondent, my different kinds were then grow- 

 ing; and therefore concluded that the most 

 correct trial would be to cultivate the piece 

 in the same way again. 



Thus I have endeavoured, with some de- 

 gree of accuracy, to give the result of the 

 experiment, and will leave it for the reader 

 to judge how much the tops benefit the suc- 

 ceeding crop. I am fully convinced that if 

 the last crop of carrots had come up as well 

 as the first, had not been injured by the 

 drought, nor overrun with vines, that it 

 would have been equally as good, if not bet- 

 ter, notwithstanding I get about five times 

 as many onions. I have left the tops on the 

 ground again for another crop of carrots, 

 and should a further trial show a different 

 result, with your indulgence, the public 

 shall have the benefit. C. 



Wickford, R. I., Dec. 1843. 



He that would be rich with the least 

 labour, must have few wants. 



