528 [Assembly 



pleasant to the taste when budding, until they have fed on their fa- 

 vorite food. 



The turnep yields a heavier crop than any other vegetable in 

 England. It almost always precedes the wheat crop. The mild 

 winters of England enable sheep to feed on them in the ground — 

 they eat them out of the ground. They are placed within an im- 

 movable iron fence upon a patch, and when that is eaten, moved to 

 another. Dropping their dung on the patch, they enrich the soil. 

 The following year an extraordinary crop of wheat grows on these 

 fields. 



Mr. Meigs. — You recollect that in a late return to the British 

 Parliament of the value of English agriculture for the year, it is es- 

 timated in all its value, at the great sum of three thousand millions 

 of dollars! — of which nearly one half was ascribed directly and in- 

 directly to the turnep crops. 



Dr. Underbill. — The cattle, and sheep particularly, require food 

 that is not too concentrated. The same kind of turnep is not so 

 likely to succeed here. We must have those that run their roots 

 deep into the soil, such as the ruta baga, the yellow Aberdeen, or 

 Dale's Hybrid. We must plant these early; they will keep all win- 

 ter; they are more solid and more nourishing. I recommend the 

 sowing of the yellow Aberdeen and Dale's Hybrid, now. The red 

 top turnep grows large and must be first fed to stock, for it will not 

 keep well. 



Although it is perhaps not in order, I beg leave again to speak of 

 the cultivation of the carrot. Enough has not been said of this 

 highly valuable root. This root bears drought well; it runs down 

 deep; it should be planted early; no insect touches it; it is far more 

 nutritious than the turnep, and I do not know any vegetable except 

 ca:ava, that fattens stock so fast and well as the carrot. Cows fed 

 on it, yield a rich, yellow milk; the cheese from it needs no other 

 coloring; the butter is rich in flavor and color. I am so convinced 

 of its value, that I mean to have, next year, a thousand where I now 

 have one carrot on rny farm. We can feed our cattle with it all 

 winter, only giving them hay enough to form their cuds, without 

 which they cannot live. Begin to feed about two quarts of carrots 

 at a meal, and gradually increase the allowance, but do not exceed a 

 half bushel. 



