286 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



JAN. 85, 184 



rrora the Central New York Farmer. 



RUTA BAGA. 



Messrs. Editors— As you s.iy " it is the duty of 

 every farmer to contriburB sometliing to the gene- 

 ral knowledge, and that it is in his power to aid 

 the cause of improvement, by furnishing matter 

 for your columns," [ will endeavor to fulfil my p;irt, 

 and commence by giving you my method of grow- 

 ing, harvesting, storing and feeding ruta bagas. 



It is now nine years since I commenced farming, 

 and I have never failed of trying to grow ruta ba- 

 gas, and have always succeeded in procuring good 

 crops, with the exception of the first and fourth. 

 The failure of the first, I attributed to bad manage- 

 ment, by putting them on soil too much inclining 

 to clay, which is not congenial to their growth, and 

 leaving the plants too near together: the fourth, 

 by using long manure on a sod, and burying it too 

 deep, and by omitting to plow until just before the 

 seed was sown, thereby not preparing the soil 

 properly for the reception of the seed. The ma- 

 nure bemg beyond the reach of the roots of the 

 young plant, their growth was slow, and the flea 

 swept tliera clean, and I was obliged to sow a se- 

 cond time, which carried thein so late into the sea- 

 son, that they did not attain their full growth. 

 Neither of the crops were a failure ; but they were 

 not satisfactory. The greatest crop 1 ever raised, 

 was 800 bushels to the acre, and I shall not be sat- 

 isfied until I can grow 1000 bushels to the acre. 



The past season, I cultivated .3 1-2 acres in ruta 

 bagas. 'J'he land had lain in pasture for a number 

 of years; in the fall of 1840, it was plowed seven 

 inches deep, and carefully turned over by an excel- 

 lent plowman. In the spring following, it was 

 cross-plowed, harrowed, and then laid out in fur- 

 rows 2 1-9 feet apart, and potatoes planted. The 

 knolls, which inclined more to sand, were manured 

 with horn-shavings, and hogs' bristles, one handful 

 to each set. Twelve rows through the middle, 

 were manured with salt mackerel, wliich were 

 spoiled, putting half a fish to every set. It was an 

 unfavorable season for potatoes; a severe drought 

 in the summer injured their growth. Tlie rows 

 manured with the salt fish, I noticed stood the 

 drought much better than any other part of the 

 field; the vines were long, and of a dark healthy 

 color, while the others were brown and shrivelled, 

 and on harvesting, we found them of a large and 

 even size, of excellent quality, and the yield far 

 better than any other part of the field. 



Last winter I purchased 26 two-horse loads of 

 the refuse of a glue factory, consisting of lime, 

 bones, wool, hair, and pieces of pelt,some of which 

 had lain there for two or three years. To 20 loads 

 of this, I added 40 loads yard manure, mixing it 

 thoroughly. 



In April last, the piece was plowed deep, and 

 left until the middle of June, when the manure 

 was hauled on and evenly spread, which covered 

 all except 34 of an acre, on which was put six 

 loads of the factory refuse, without any yard ma- 

 nure. It was then plowed and harrowed thorough- 



whcre the refuse of the glue-factory was put, they 

 did not show but very few plants until the lOlh day, 

 were sickly, and grew so tardily that the flea de- 

 voured them about as fast as they made their ap- 

 pearance ; in fact we were obliged to transplant 

 the whole of the 3-4 of an acre; showing most 

 conclusively, in my opinion, that the ruta baga re- 

 quires a quick and active manure, to give them an 

 early start, to get them out of the way of their 

 greatest enemy, the flea. 



Oil the 18th of July, the cultivator was inn be- 

 tween the rows, and they wore thinned with the 

 hoe, leaving the plants from 8 to 10 inches apart. 

 In August, the cultivator was again run through 

 them, and they were hoed at intervals when con- 

 venient. Nothing more was done to them until we 

 commenced pulling them in November. The crop 

 measured 2355 bushels. 



I will here remark, that where the salt fish was 

 used the year previous, it was perceptible at some 

 distance, the tops being of a darker hue, more vigo- 

 rous, and continued so through the season, and on 

 raising, we found Ihcin larger and thicker in the 

 neck, and smaller in the hubb, showing that the 

 salt will increase the top at tlie expense of the bot- 

 tom. 



The greater part of the crop I put in a cellar, 

 the remainder in heaps in the field, for feeding my 

 ewes in lambing time. The heaps are made in the 

 following manner, which I have never known to 

 fail when properly attended to. A trench, feet 

 wide, of any length required, and one foot deep, is 

 dug in a dry situation, generally on a knoll ; the 

 roots after having boen topped, and divested of the 

 small fibrous roots, are thrown into the trench and 

 laid up in the form of a roof. A coat of straight 

 rye straw, from eight to ten inches in thickness, is 

 put on in such a position as to conduct the water 

 off, if any should reach it. Earth is then thrown 

 on by digging a trench, beginning at the bottom, 

 and going around the iieap until the Avhole is cov- 

 ered. Tlie earlli will press the straw and prevent 

 water running through to the roots. A coat of 10 

 to 12 inches is sufficient for our common winters. 

 The trench will prevent the water from getting in- 

 to the heap. There is more danger of getting the 

 covering too thick than too thin. They are more 

 liable to suff'er from heat than from frost. After 

 the earth is all put on, it should be carefully clapp- 

 ed down with the spade, to make it the more efiec- 

 tually shed the rains. After a few days, I take n 

 crow-bar and thrust it in the top, along the ridge, 

 down into the heap, no matter if it breaks some of 

 the roots, and open holes three feet apart, to let off 

 the gas or vapor which is generated by a partial 

 fermentation. A flat stone, one edge set up an 

 inch or tw«, or a wisp of straw may be put into the 

 holes to prevent the rain from getting in, which 

 completes the work for the winter. 



With me, the ruta baga is a valuable crop. They 

 afford the greatest quantity of food per acre, for my 

 stock, while they seem to exhaust the soil less, and 

 leave it in the best possible condition for a suc- 

 ceeding crop. It is too rich for oats, but well cal- 



ESSEX AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 

 In addition to the premiums awarded by the E 

 sex Agricultural Society at the annual exhibit! 

 amounting to four hundred sixtyeight dollars a 

 fifty cents, the following premiums liave be 

 awarded by vote of the Trustees: 

 To Joseph How, Methuen, for experiments 

 in fatting swine, the 1st premium of $15 



" Daniel P. King, Danvers, for experiments 



in reclaiming meadow land, 1st premium, 20 

 " Moody Ordway, W. Newhury, for Nurse- 

 ry, 1st premium, 15 

 " Allen VV. Dodge, Hamilton, do. 2d pre- 

 mium, 10 

 » Ralph H. Chandler, Andover, best plow, 



1st premium, 10 



" Charles B. Lander, market wagon, gratu- 

 ity, 3 

 " Sylvester Stevens, Stoneham, Straw-cut- 

 ter, gratuity, 6 

 " Joshua Toppan, Newbury, Mulberry trees, 



1st premium, 10 



" Enoch Bradley, Haverhill, Indian corn, 



1st premium, 10 



" Allen Putnam, Hamilton, for do. do. 

 a gratuity of 5 



Joseph How, Methuen, quantity compost 

 manure, 2d premium, 20 



John Chase, Andover, quantity compost 

 manure, 3d premium, 10 



Justin Carter, Andover, do. do. 



manure, a gratuity of 10 



Allen Putnam, Hamilton, experiments on 

 manures, 1st premium, 20 



Joseph How, Methuen, do. on 



manures, 2d premium, 10 



John Pcaseley, Danvers, crop of Carrots, '' 

 1st premium, 10 



Allen Putnam, Hamilton, crop of ruta ba- 



ly, mixing the soil and manure. It was then thrown j ^^1,^^^^^ f^^ barley, and clover-seed always takes 



into ridges, 27 inches apart; the tops flattened 

 with a light roller, the horse walking between the 

 rows, and flattening two rows at every time. The 

 seed was deposited half an inch deep, with a drill, 

 (Bement's,) on the 18lh of June. 



On that part of the field where the yard manure 

 was applied, the plants made their appearance on 

 the fourth day after sowing, while on that part 



well sown with it. I feed them to my cattle, sheep, 

 hogs, (boiled,) and occasionally to rny horses, with 

 apparent advantage. C. N. BEMENT. 



Three Hills' Farm, Albany, Jan. 1843. 



Good butter is selling at Troy, N. Y., for ten 

 cents a pound. 



ga, premium, 



10 



Attest, DANIEL P. KING, Sec'i 



Danvers, Jan. 2rf, 1843. 



LARGE OX. 



There was slaughtered here on the 14th inst. 

 uncomm.on ox, fjitted by Messrs. Israel Billu 

 Esq. & Son, of Hatfield, Mass., and sold by Ebe 

 zer Sumner, 37 and 39 Faneuil Hall market. ' 

 weight was as follows: 



Hide, 142 lbs. 



Tallow, 241 •' 



Fore quarter, 500 " 



Do. do. 515 " 



Hind quarter, 405 " 



Do. do. 414 " 



Total, 2223 " 



This is the largest ox, with one exception, 

 was ever cut up in the Boston market. The qi 

 ters of this Billings ox were heavier than were < 

 exhibited here before. The Fiske ox, from V 

 tham, slaughtered in 1820, weighed — 



Hide, 



Tallow, 

 Fore quarter. 



Hind quarter, 



Total, 



159 lbs 

 305 " 

 482 " 

 477 " 

 407 " 

 407 « 



2237 " 



