No. 10. 



Root Crops. 



319 



ready half-tilled, and all the subsequent ope 

 rations are easy. 



" How oflen do we pass by and see — not 

 farmers, but rooters, tearinij up a beautiful 

 lawn and leaviiigf it jiilod in heaps and ridges 

 merely for the want of an instrument that may 

 be called a plough !" 



A recent number of the New England 

 Farmer contains the Report of Inventions--, 

 made at the last annual meeting of the ]\Ias 

 Bachusetts Agricultural Society. We make 

 the following extract, from which it appears 

 that the first premium was awarded to Prouly 

 & Mears' plough. 



"The implements for which premiums are 

 now claimed, are entitled to much credit for 

 their simplicity and economy, the ease with 

 which tliey may be used, and the facility 

 with which they may be repaired when ne- 

 cessary. 



'The improvement already made in the 

 construction of the plough, and the study of 

 the principles on which it should be made, 

 justifies the conclusion, that it is better econ- 

 omy for the farmer to keep three ploughs, 

 adapted for specific purposes, than two of the 

 same construction, diflfering only in size, as 

 has heretofore been most common. 



" The sward plough of ]\Ir. Prouty, to whom 

 the offered premium of twenty dollars is 

 awarded, appears to have been the result of 

 continued attention and minute observation, 

 with practical skill as a farmer in the use of 

 the plough, as well as mathematical calcula- 

 tion in the principle of its construction, as 

 will appear by the letter of Mr. Prontv, re-! 

 commended to be published. In the Yankee! 

 Farmer of the 28th April, 1838, there is I 

 a communication headed " Plou^liinir and! 

 ploughs, by E. P. of Lexington," giving a 

 very particular description of this plough, 

 which was highly gratifying to your commit- 

 tee." 



Farmers who visit Philadelphia are re- 

 juested to call and examine the ploughs re- 

 ferred to above, at No. 87 North Second st. 



Root Crops.— Farmers Attasiii. 



The scarcity and dearness of beef cattle 

 ;eem to oflor a fit occasion for us to urge upon 

 )ur agricultural friends the propriety of put- 

 ingin a few acres of roofs, in addition to their 

 isual crops, for the purpose of feeding their 

 attle, as every plan which can be adopted of 

 aying the grain crops should be an object 

 I'ith them, provided that in so doing they con 

 ffect a saving of time, labor, and money. — 

 fowas we believe all this cr,nbedonebv the 



plan we are about to urge, we trust it may be 

 favorably considered, and carried out, so far 

 at least as to make a fair experiment of its 

 utility. From various experiments made, it 

 has been reduced to a certainty that one thou- 

 sand bushels of vmnsrfi wurlzd or shoar 

 BEET can be raised from an acre of well ma- 

 nured land, find this number of bushels will 

 not be considered large wlien we state, that it 

 will only require that these roots should weigh 

 three lbs. each to give us this quantity, and 

 that they have been raised to weigh 22 lbs. 

 For milch cows they are peculiarly well 

 adapted, [especially the Sugar Beet] and if 

 given out to tiiem in the quantity of half a 

 bushel a day, in two meals, say night and 

 morning, in addition to their usual quantity 

 of hay or fodder, will, during the winter and 

 spring months, add seveny-five per cent, to 

 their product in milk and butter, besides 

 greatly increasing the richness and flavor of 

 both. A half bushel a day from the 1st of 

 December, till the first of May, a period of 

 1.51 day.s — will at the rate of a thousand bush- 

 els to the acre carry 13 cows well over the 

 whole period of time named, and leave them 

 at the date named in excellent condition. As 

 to the modo of keeping beets, no other care 

 is necessary than is usually given to the pre- 

 servation of potatoes or turneps. In proof of 

 this we have sugar beets now, this 19th day 

 of April, that have been kept in a dry cellar, 

 unprotected by covering of any kind, that are 

 now as sound as the day they were taken out 

 of the earth, having preserved unimpaired all 

 those qualities which render them a delicious 

 table beet. Having stated the capacity of an 

 acre, and shown as we trust conclusively, that 

 it is competent to be made produce enough to 

 sustain 13 cows from the first of December 

 until the first of May, we would ask, to what 

 cl.-e could an acre of land be appropriated that 

 would do as much? We know of no crop 

 that would prove as -profit able, and, therefore, 

 urge thepropridy of a trial vpon every farm- 

 cr and planter: They may he planted from 

 the present period throughout all May, and 

 until proper manuring and culture will pro- 

 duce uhat loe have staled. 



In fattening beef cattle, if given in the 

 quantity of a bushel a day, divided into four 

 men Is with the usual quantity of hay or fodder, 

 they will prove eminently efficient, and save 

 a viist qunntity of corn. Should their culture 

 be adopted, tliere is no farmer that could not 

 raise (bur tinif s as many cattle for the butch- 

 ers as he now does, as one acre in such cul- 

 ture will give him the material for fattening 

 seven head. 



The above is from the Farmer and Garden- 

 er, and we join the Editor in earnestly re- 

 commending to our farmers a fair trial of the 



