ON ROOT CROPS. 79 



not afford to raise. Now undoubtedly it is often the 

 case, that enormous crops are obtained at a ruinous 

 expense, but the experience which I have had in rais- 

 ing roots (I refer principally to Mangel Wurtzel and 

 Swedish Turnips) has convinced nie that enormous 

 projits may be obtained at a moderate expense. 



I have raised upon a small spot of land highly cul- 

 tivated and in a favorable season, at the rate of 38 

 tons per acre. But such crops are not to be expect- 

 ed except from a soil very suitable for their produc- 

 tion, and highly manured. I will therefore, base the 

 estimate I am about to make, upon a crop which I 

 find by reference to memoranda, was raised in the 

 year 1828. I refer to this crop because it was one 

 on which I bestowed no extraordinary quantity of 

 manure, labor, or skill. It was such as I confidently 

 beheve might be obtained from a considerable part of 

 the cultivated land in this County, and with very little 

 more expense than is now bestowed upon a corn or 

 potato field. I find there was rather less than one 

 fifth of an acre of land, one cord of manure was ap- 

 plied, and the land w^as in no better state in any res- 

 pect, than such as a farmer might expect would yield 

 40 bushels of Indian corn per acre. The produce 

 was estimated to be 4 tons. A bushel will weigh 

 somewhat over 50 lbs. This crop, therefore, would 

 be in round numbers 1000 bushels per acre. 



The value of an acre of corn yielding 40 bushels, 

 estimating the corn at one dollar per bushel, and the 

 fodder at j^l5, will be $55; and estimating a bushel 

 of Mangel VVurtzels to be worth only one fifth of a 

 bushel of corn, an acre of Mangel Wurtzels (1000 

 bushels) will be worth ^200. But the leaves which 

 might be gathered together with the thinnings, if ju- 

 diciously used, would be worth, at the least, an acre 

 of corn fodder. This will make the gross sum ^215. 

 From this sum deduct enough to pay for the extra 

 expense of cultivating this crop, say |(10, and there 



