88 ONROOT CROPS. 



on a half acre in the furrows, and then ran the same plo'-rrh be- 

 tween the rows turning the furrow each way to cover the n.a'.ure. 



I then sowed half a pound of ruta baga seed to the half acre, on 

 the top of the ridges, and raked the seed in with a hand rake. 



About the last of June the ground was hoed, and the vacancies 

 filled by transplanting. The plants were about a foot apart and in 

 July they were again hoed for the last time, running the cultivator 

 between the rows each time. 



The first week in November, the crop v/as harvested, and ailer 

 clearing the turnips of dirt and leaves they were put in small piles 

 to dry. After they were well dryed they were hauled to the cellar 

 where they were measured in a large basket, filling the baskets as 

 nearly alike as possible. 



Eight baskets were weighed, which varied, aft;er filling them as 

 nearly alike as we could fill them, from 100 to 106 lbs. to the bas- 

 ket, but in order not to make the estimate too high, I called each 

 basket 100 lbs., and had 199 baskets full, or 19,900 lbs., or, allowing 

 56 lbs to the bushel, 355^^^- bushels. 



Had it not been for the severe drought I have no doubt, but I 

 should have had 500 bushels on the half acre. 



My compost was composed of five loads of meadow mud, (cart 

 holding forty bushels,) and two loads manure from the barn yard. 

 A part of the mud had lain under the cattle tie-up during the win- 

 ter, and the rest had received the wash from the house ; all of which 

 was hauled to the field and mixed before putting into the drills. 



The items of cost stated, are counted at one dollar per day for 

 labor, and are nearly as follows : 



Interest on land, at ^50 per acre, ^ 1 50 



7 loads compost, at ^^1 50, 10 50 



Labor, hauling manure and turnips, 

 ^ day furrowing, 



1 day putting in manure, 



1^ day weeding and transplanting, 



1^ do. for a boy, at 75c. 



1 day, second time, myself and boy, 



3 days, harvesting, do. do. 



^ lb. seed, 



$24 87 

 The land on which I raised this crop is a light soil, composed of a 



