No. 10. 



Root Culture. — Gate Posts, fyc. 



301 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 



Root Culture. 



The cultivation of roots is one of the 

 modern improvements in agricultural sci 

 ence : they double the amount of provender 

 and treble the amount of manure, and afford 

 a healthy and succulent food that is eagerly 

 sought after by cattle. They meliorate their 

 condition, and would serve to soften the rigors 

 of winter in the peculiar satisfaction which 

 cattle manifest after feeding, and anxiety to 

 obtain them. One acre to roots, will yield 

 green food enough to winter as many ani 

 mals as four acres of grass would do, esti- 

 mating the yield to be from one and a half 

 to two tons per acre.* The revolutions in 

 husbandry that have followed the introduc 

 tion of root culture, have been of a perma- 

 nent character, and which it would be im 

 politic to dispense with ; for while it has 

 already materially aided in perfecting the 

 system of agriculture in those countries 

 where it has been longest known, it is ap 

 parent that to its influence we owe a 

 more perfect one in our own. Germany 

 has long felt the importance of the turnip; 

 and the beet culture of France now fur- 

 nishes annually one hundred million pounds 

 of sugar for human consumption ; while the 

 refuse of the beet gives the French the best 

 of beef and mutton, a luxury it is said but 

 seldom enjoyed before the introduction of 

 the sugar-beet. Again, the culture of the 

 carrot occupies a large share of the atten 

 tion of the people of Flanders, a people 

 known extensively for the skilful manage 

 ment of their agricultural concerns. Their 

 husbandry too, enjoys a more elevated repu- 

 tation for profitableness, than that of any 

 other country. In Great Britain, the intro- 

 duction of root culture is considered as im 

 portant to husbandry, as the application of 

 steam to the manufacturing art. The praise 

 of English beef is due to the turnip, a luxury 

 highly extolled, and of which John Bull 

 vauntingly boasts. In confirmation of what 

 is here said, the following remarks from the 

 New Edinburgh Encyclopedia, are offered: 

 " The introduction of turnips into the hus- 

 bandry of Britain, occasioned one of those 

 revolutions in rural art, which are constantly 

 occurring among husbandmen ; and though 

 the revolution came on with slow and grad- 

 ual steps, yet it may now be viewed as com- 

 pletely and thoroughly established. Before 

 the introduction of this root, it was impossi- 



* It is scarcely necessary to observe, that we would 

 ever wish our readers to remember, that we are not 

 responsible for the opinions of our correspondents.— Ed. 



ble to cultivate light soils successfully, or to 

 devise suitable rotations for cropping them 

 with advantage. It was also a difficult task 

 to support live stock through the winter and 

 spring months ; and as for feeding and fat- 

 ting cattle and sheep for market, during 

 these inclement seasons, the practice was 

 hardly thought of, and still more rarely at- 

 tempted, unless when a full stock of hay 

 was provided, which only happened in a 

 few instances. The benefits derived from 

 turnip husbandry, are therefore of great 

 magnitude: light soils are now cultivated 

 with profit and facility; abundance of food 

 is provided for man and beast ; the earth is 

 turned to the uses for which it is physically 

 calculated ; and by being suitably cleaned 

 with this preparatory crop, a bed is provided 

 for grass-seeds, wherein they flourish and 

 prosper with greater vigor than after any 

 other preparation." J. N. Keeler, 



Feb. 19th, 1843. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 



Gate-posts and content of corn-cribs. 

 — Farmers often want to know how much 

 corn they have in their cribs, or how much 

 grain they may have in the bins in their 

 granaries. To do this, they have only to 

 level the grain on the top, multiply the 

 length of the crib or bin, by its width, and 

 this again by its depth in feet and inches. 

 This will give the content in cubic, or solid 

 feet. Now as there are 1728 cubic inches 

 in a foot, and 2150 in a bushel, we perceive 

 that it takes just about five cubic feet to 

 make four bushels. From the number of 

 solid feet then, in a crib or bin, subtract one 

 fifth, and you have the content in struck 

 bushels, very nearly. If the crib is not of 

 equal width, take the mean width : and if 

 the corn be in the ear, about one half will 

 show the number of bushels of shelled corn. 



There is often considerable difficulty in 

 preventing the post to which a gate is 

 hung, from swagging or leaning towards 

 hat against which it shuts. I have disco- 

 vered a simple remedy ; and that is, instead 

 of selecting a straight stick for a post, select 

 one that has a considerable crook, or angle 

 at the surface of the ground when set. 

 The post then being properly placed in the 

 ground, with the bottom pointing in a direc- 

 tion towards the post, against which the gate 

 is to shut, its crook or angle will counteract 

 the tendency of the weight of the gate to 

 draw the post over towards itself, and thus 

 prevent the leaning that is often so trouble- 

 some. S. M. S. 



Staunton, Del. 



