MR. fay's address. 11 



it is neglected. The smallncss of the prizes oiTered by our Agri- 

 cultural Societies for root crops, is also another indication of the 

 little attention that is given to them.* 



It follows of necessity almost, that if wc increase the cultivation 

 of roots, we shall hkewise add to our stock of cattle and sheep with 

 a view to the most profitable disposition of them. Under our present 

 system, where we rely entirely upon our pastures in summer, and 

 on hay and corn fodder in winter, to keep our stock, it not unfre- 

 quently happens that a failure in either, forces farmers to reduce it 

 at the most unpropitious moment, on account of its poor condition 

 and the low state of the markets caused by the general necessity 

 of selling. If we manage, however, a little diiferently, sowing a 

 few acres of corn for fodder, and a still larger number in roots, 

 beyond what is needed for our usual stock, we shall then be in a 

 position to take advantage of the improvidence or want of foresight 

 in others, by buying cheap what they are forced to sell, and fatten- 

 ing them for the butcher with the surplus product of our farms. 

 This is the true test of success, and when one is in a position to do 

 this, he is on the sure road to wealth and prosperity. The reply 

 of an intelligent Scotch farmer to me on my remarking upon the 

 great breadth of land he had in turnips, is as true here in its appli- 

 cation as it is in Scotland. It was this : if I did not cultivate at 

 least one sixth of my farm in turnips, fattening stock upon them in 

 the winter to be sold in the spring, and purchasing bones, guano 

 and other fertilizers to bring the land to the highest condition for 

 their cultivation, I could neither farm to a profit nor pay my rent. 



Having thus provided by an increased production of roots, the 

 means of carrying our usual stock through the winter, with a surplus 

 to be given to cattle purchased in the autumn for fattening, we 

 must next arrange for their winter management. We all know 

 the importance of liberal feeding, whether for work, for milk, or 

 the beef market. We are constantly told that we should vary the 

 food, and that a great saving can be made by steaming some 

 kinds, bruising and mixing others, notwithstanding which, our 

 practical short-comings are very great in these particulars. There 

 are farmers still to be found, who sell all that they raise that is fit to 

 go to market, reserving only the refuse for their own stock ; who 



*The prizes awarded for crops in Massachusetts for 1853, amounted to $2784,16, 

 of which turnips received $13,50. 



