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quantities of hay he sells, when his live stock in spring, 

 like so many walking skeletons, show how scanty the 

 food upon which life may be sustained. No; provision 

 should be made for the barn, as ample as that for the 

 house. This can be accomplished, and the great arti- 

 cle of hay still be left for sale, by the cultivation of 

 roots; the carrot, the ruta-baga and the beet. The cul- 

 tivation of these is extending, but if it proceeded far 

 more rapidly, we should all find our account in it. The 

 potato will undoubtedly continue to maintain ihe first 

 rank in root culture; yet the cost of seed and the crop 

 of weeds usually grown along with it, are serious draw- 

 backs to its value, in comparison with other roots. 

 With respect of the latter, a necessity exists for clean 

 cultivation and high manuring, which will assuredly 

 tell, not only on the superior amount of the crop raised, 

 but on the future condition of the land. 



Extensive cultivation of root crops is the basis of good 

 husbandry in Great Britain, and I see no good reason 

 why it should not be with us. True, sheep cannot be 

 fed here in winter on turnips in the field, even if we 

 had the sheep to feed; but we can secure the roots in 

 trenches or cellars, for the use of our horned cattle and 

 horses, and swine, during the hard and long winters 

 through which we must carry them. Again I repeat, 

 that by such a course, w^e are increasing the capital of 

 that bank, upon which the farmer must draw in spring 

 — the bank of manure — of which the owner beins: sole 

 president and director, may extend its operations with- 

 out danger to the community. 



The cultivation of roots too, would enable us to ex- 

 tend the business of the dairy into winter, in the same 

 way that it enables the milk farms to supply the markets 

 during that season with milk. The period of butter- 

 making is much shorter than it need be; much shorter, 

 I am satisfied, than the interest of our farmers should 

 suffer it to be. In connection with roots, the culture of 

 winter rye, to be grazed in early spring, deserves, as 1 

 trust it will receive, careful experiment. In fact, if 

 more forethought and attention were bestowed upon the 



