122 KOOT CROPS. 



as taken from the bed of the river, and this was all the fertilizer 

 applied the present season. The plants did not come up well, 

 there being many spaces of a foot or more in the rows where no 

 plants were to be seen ; but the latter part of the season they came 

 forward finely, there being very few plants less than three inches 

 in diameter — and many of them were as large as my arm, or leg, 

 which are not wanting in a fair share of muscle, made more effec- 

 tive, probably, by the labor applied in the cultivation of the crop — 

 for it is a rule with me, never to suffer weeds to occupy the ground 

 where useful plants are needed to grow. I' sowed my carrots at the 

 usual time, and weeded themiu the usual way. I did not think of 

 offering them for premium until I found my crop unusually large, 

 — larger than I have ever before grown, and I believe I have 

 grown as large as any of my neighbors ; and I do not know any 

 neighborhood where the proprietors of land do their own work with 

 their own hands, where the crops have better attention than on the 

 strong and hard land of South Danvers. 

 South Danvers, Nov. 14, 1855. 



PAUL T. WINKLEY'S STATEMENT. 



The land upon which the ruta bagas grew, which I enter for pre- 

 mium, is a black clay loam, with a clay subsoil. About half of 

 the piece was manured and broke up last year, and planted to corn 

 in drill for green feed for cows ; the other half was broke up this 

 year, and one -half of that manured at the rate of 20 loads to the 

 acre, and ploughed in, the other half was broke up without any 

 manure, but after it was ploughed we hauled on sand at the rate of 

 about 50 loads the acre. The crop, when the sand was put on, 

 was quite as large as on any part of the piece. 



After it was harrowed, one man went along with a hand rake and 

 leveled off a narrow space for a drill. I followed sowing the seed 

 with my fingers, another man followed me raking in the seed, going 

 about as fast as a man usually walks, sowing the whole in one-half 



