TAKING-TIP OF THE ROOT CROPS. 357 



with each of his hands pulls up roots and places them on 

 the line at the row which he has pulled up with his left 

 hand, with the root end lying towards the root end of the 

 first row, so that we have now four rows of roots lying 

 close together in two rows side by side, with their leaves 

 on the outside of each of these rows, and the roots of each 

 row now nearly touching each other; and every four rows 

 when growing, are thus, when pulled, laid in two rows, 

 root to root, occupying not more than 27 inches. .Now 

 as the next four rows are lifted in the same way, and 

 placed in like manner, we have a space unoccupied of three 

 times 27 inches, or 6 feet 9 inches between each double 

 row of roots, for the cart to go between them to carry off 

 the bulbs. After the five men pulling the roots there fol- 

 low women or boys with knives made of pieces of old scythes, 

 who, by repeated blows, cut off the leaves and roots with- 

 out moving one of them with their hands. This is con- 

 stant work, and requires 10 active women to keep up with 

 the five men pulling. 



"Immediately on the heels of the cutters follow the carts, 

 between the two double rows of bulbs as they lie, having 

 their leaves and roots cut off, and one of the contractors and 

 nine active boys and girls throw up the bulbs as far as they 

 can into the cart, the man speaking to the horse to move 

 forward or stop, as they clear the ground. When one cart 

 is full, an empty one has been brought by one of the boys 

 who drive the carts, and placed immediately behind the 

 full one, so that as the boy moves off with the full cart, the 

 man calls the horse with the empty cart to move forward, 

 and they proceed to throw the roots into the cart as fast 

 as they did into the one that is just gone off the field. 



"The pulling of the roots and the filling of the carts 

 being the principal work, one of the contractors is in each 

 of these departments, and the work proceeds with the ut- 

 most regularity and despatch; 20 cart-loads have been 

 filled hourly in the field and delivered in the store; 182 

 loads, of a ton weight each, have been pulled in a day of nine 

 hours by 6 men, 10 womeri, and 9 boys and girls. 



