254 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



FKB. i 



AND HORTICULTUKAL REGISTER. 



Boston, Wednesday, February 8, 1843. 



THIRD AGRICULTURAL MEETING AT THE 

 STATE HOUSE. 



The President, Mr King, in the Chair, 

 After some discussion relntini; to the reports lliat had 

 been published of the former meetings — discussion which 

 we hope may be of service in making us all careful not 

 to pervert the intentions and ideas of those who are 

 willing to do sometliing lo in.i'ruct the assembly— the 

 regular subject for the evening— Roo( Culture — was 

 taken up. 



Mr Putnam, Ed. N. E. Fiirmer, remarked, that he 

 should class potatoes among roots, for the time being, 

 although they be not, strictly, roots. These are good 

 for Slock— they are the best of the roots- but the ques- 

 tion comes, whether they do not cost, compared with 

 their worth, more than other roots. Some will say, yes ; 

 others, no ; and both will answer correctly. This turns 

 upon the qualities of the soil. In some parts of the 

 Commonwealth, potatoes are probably the cheapest and 

 most profitable. But lie mu-t tell his ez/icrience, and 

 others must tell theirs. There will be differences, and 

 jl is only by stating them, that we c:m arrive at correct 

 general conclusions. 



Where he has tilled, and generally in the eastern part 

 of the Stale, on our common loamy fields that have fo 

 a century and more, been alternately in grass and under 

 the plow, it is difficult for us lo get gooJ crops of pota- 

 toes with any regularity. Here, by putting on five or 

 Bix cords of manure, which will cost when on the field, 

 five or six dollars per cord, or thirty dollars per acre, 

 and by the addition of twenty dollars more in seed and 

 labor, we may get 150 bushels per acre— including all 

 the small ones. Sometimes we get more— 200— even 

 250 occasionally— but generally they will cost us from 

 30 to 40 cts. per bushel on such lands When we can 

 get a piece of reclaimed meadow land to work on, or 

 when we take up pasture grounds or any new lands, we 

 can do belter — we can get larger crops and at less ex- 

 pense. On our common fields, we can do belter than to 

 raise pot.itoes for slock. 



Carrots are next lo potatoes in worth. liy taking a 

 field in good tilth, and one that is well pulverized, we 

 can, by applying about ihe same sum for manure as was 

 allowed for the potato crop, and adding some more la- 

 bor, so as to carry ihe expenses up to 62 1-2 dollars per 

 acre, get near 510 bushels per acre ; and when we do 

 that, Ihe carrots cost us about 12 1-2 cis. per bushel. He 

 did not know from experience the comparative worth of 

 potatoes and carrots, but he would certainly rather have 

 three bushels of carrots ihan one of potitoes. 



We have among us, lalely introduced from Europe, a 

 white carrot, thai is found to yield in many instances 

 50 per cent, more than the most produclivo varieties of 

 the yellow. This grows partly above ground, and is 

 more easily harvested than the otlier.^i. Whether its 

 qualily is as good, we must learn by furlher us". 



With the sugar beet and iniingel wurlzel, he had not 

 been successful. Sometimes the crop will bo good, but 

 it is unceilain. The beet is a great water drinker : it 

 requires much moisiure, and a good soil. If it once 

 gels checked in growth by ihe summer droiighi, it sel- 

 dom recovers so as to do well. 



The ruta baga, oil proper soils, c:in be raised at the 

 least expense of any. When the carrots cost 12 1-2 cts., 

 the ruta bagas can bo raised for 9 or 10 cts. These are 

 nulrilious an<r good fur stock But an ohjectinn is made 



to them, that they give an unpleasant taste to milk. 

 They sometimes do. But it is by no means certain thai 

 they always and necessarily do. When fed out in the 

 fall and early winter, they often Imve this effect. But a 

 gentleman in Salem, who keeps a number of cows and 

 sells all his milk, fed, last winter, in Dec, upon sugar 

 beefs; — then for several weeks in mid-winter upon ruta 

 hagas, and afterwards upon eorrof. His customers nev- 

 er noiiced the change, though m.Triv of them, and also 

 his wife, were very panicular, nnd much di-iliked the 

 turnip taste. A gentleman, now in the house, keeps 

 nearly 20 cows, and their milk is lnought to this market 

 every day. It is bought at the farm by a milkman- 

 This man offered, in the autumn, to give the owner of 

 the rows 10 dollars, if he would not feed out to them 

 the r> or COO bushels of ruta bagas that were in his cel- 

 lar, saying that his customers would not like the milk- 

 Thn gentleman, replied, "When your cuslomnrs com- 

 plain, let me know it, and the cows shall h.ive no ruta 

 bagas " For the last month, the cows have been fed 

 with them, and the milkman has heard no complaint. 

 These loots are taken from the cellar a day or two be- 

 fore they are used, and laid on the barn floor, where the 

 strong turnipy smell passes off. They are fed out in the 

 afternoon. 



The English or round turnip may be cultivated, if 

 other things are likely to be short, and it may be well 

 to sow with these some spots from which early vegeta- 

 bles have been taken ; but they are not supposed to be 

 very nutritious nor as profitable for extensive cultiva- 

 tion as the other roots. They soon grow corky. The 

 ruta baga, Mr P. thought, was sweeter and better to- 

 wards spring and through the spring, than in the early 

 part of winter. 



The question has been agitated whether the stock does 

 any better for having rools in winter, than it will if kept 

 upon dry hay alone. Many firmers — and they are 

 among ihe most observing — have said that when they 

 use roots, the stock derive but little if any benefit from 

 them. This he (Mr P.) had heard from so many sour- 

 ces, and from such accurate observers, that his faith in 

 this toot had been somewhat shaken ;— but his own use 

 of them had led him lo regaid them with favor; and re- 

 cently he had been reading a new publication by Hen- 

 ry Stephens, Secretary of the Highland Agricultural 

 Society, of Scotland, in which there is a very minute 

 account of the use and effects of turnips. The stock in 

 Scotland is fed from November to .laniiary upon the 

 English or flat turnip and straw. When that variety of 

 turnip is consumed, the rula baga is used, with straw, 

 diirmg the remainder of the cold season. It is found 

 that this lurnip feed does not improve the appearance 

 and condition of the stock at all, until about February. 

 After that, the stock improves very rapidly. Now our 

 firniers generally gel through with their rools, or nearly 

 so, in the earlier part of the winter, and ifen"ects are the 

 same here as in Scotland, the stock will not apparently 

 derive benefit from roots as we use them. But it may 

 be that if we have a sufficient supply to last until May, 

 we shall find them highly beneficial. 



Mr Purker asked Mr Hutnam whether potatoes were 

 not a good crop for rough lands .' In what slate, if yon 

 manure highly, will they leave the common field soil.' 

 And how d" you treat them, as to manure, on the re. 

 claimed meadow lands.' 



Ans. Should take this crop for rough Jands, because 

 it can be cultivated, on such, better than most others, 

 and comparatively does well in quantity and qualily. If 

 vou manure highly, ihe potatoes will leave much of the 

 manure for future crops — but if the question be, Bhirli 

 exhausts the most, corn or potatoes.' lie would give it 

 as his opinion that potatoes do^lhough this is not the 



common belief On meadow lands, he might i 

 barn manure, but if so, the quantity would li 

 Sand or soil from the U|dands, would perinan 

 quite as beneficial, load fi'r load, on the peaty I 

 barn manure. 



Mr Parker asked fr Ihe process of cultivating 



Ans. In Danvers, where this root is cultivate 

 sively, it is usual to lake land that is in good 

 well pulverized, to put on 5 or G cords of good 

 per acre and plow il in early in the spring. At 

 20lh of May, plow the land again, and after 

 three furrows, lo rake ihi^ slooes, straw, &c. intc 

 row l.ist made ; and thus goon until the whole 

 ed and raked. Then with the seed-sower, p 

 seed, having the rows IV"m 14 to 16 inches ap 

 surface is flat. The hoeing, weeding and Ihini 

 require about 20 days' work pi r acre. This is 

 al course there. But he (.Mr Putnam) thinks 1 

 better way. He would ridge the land, and I 

 rows wide enough apart to cultivate with th 

 Would not sow earlier than the 5th of Junt 

 work would be much less, and the crop nearly i 

 The Rev. Jared Eliot, of Conn., a century ago 

 in this way, plowing the earth fri>ni the carroln ( 

 turning it back, and repeating this process seven 

 — and obtained good carrots, where by the comr 

 cess, he should not have obtained one larger 

 thumb. 



Mr Gardner, of Seekonk, asked whether in th 

 cullivaliiin described by Mr P., the hoe was u.< 

 said that in his vicinity they are covered and ti 

 dug with the plow, and they get Ihein al less c( 

 has been named. 



Ans. The hoe is used ; — the great item of co 

 manure, oO dollars per acre. The work done 

 hoe may cost 3 or 4 dollars. 



[Report lo be conliuued.] 



Subject for discussion at the next meeting — F 

 Fruit Trees. 



U'intsr Eutler.—hnsl week. Col Farnsworlh, ||, 

 tendant of Francis C. Lowell's farm, Wallham, 

 four lumps of fresh butler, beautifully stamped, 

 most excellent quality : we never lasted better I 

 made in winter, and rarely do wo find better at 

 son. We should be happy lo learn the proi 

 feedin" the cows, preseiving the milk and ma 

 butter. 



J\'cw Slate Register for 1843 — James Lori 

 Washington street, has just published the Massa 

 Register for 1843, conlainiug the New Tariff c 

 wilb the Tariff' Law, the Slate Legisleture, I 

 Ciuigress, the Army and Navy Officers, Consuls 

 Officers, City Officers of Boston, Salem, and 

 Ministers, Colleges, Charitable Societies, Banks 

 surance Companies, I'ost Masters, Justices, L 

 U. S. Census of Towns in Massachusetts, Mci 

 the Mass. Medical Society, Stale Apportionment 

 Willi China, Boundary Question, Bankruptcy C 

 sinners, Boston Pilotage, &c. &c. 



WHi/ej-.— During the warm weather in Jnnn 

 New Englimd Farmer ^announced ihat some v 

 gentleman, about nine days before the thaw ( 

 had seen a peculiar light in the sky, by whii 

 ihat " the winter was broken " What did he til. 

 terduy morning? — Post, of Tuesday. 



O'Thought it had been mended. — N. E. Fab. 



Srqw— On Sunday we had a fine fall of sno'j 

 bably or 10 inches— damp and but little drifteiil 

 the best for sleighing we have had for some yearsH 



