378 [Assembly 



brown, deep, rich upland loam, free from foul grass, weeds, stones, 

 or stumps, where potatoes, peas, corn, or wheat were the year be- 

 fore. Plough deep,. once in September, and again in October. 

 When spring opens — say Ist of April in Tennessee, 15th in Ohio, 

 and the 21st of May in New York — plough again deep (the 

 deeper the better), harrow well, then lay the ground off in beds, 

 as for beets. Strike ridges, with a one horse plough, once in 

 every seven feet, raising it eight or ten inches, if the soil be moist, 

 or six or eight inches, if the soil be dry. Make the beds smooth 

 with a light harrow. 



Should you want to plant one acre, purchase eight bushels of 

 the tap roots in the fall, and bury them as you would potatoes. 

 Count your ridges, and then take one bushel of the roots for one 

 eighth part of your ridges, and plant them out. You will then 

 see how to proportion your roots for the remainder of the acre. 

 One man on each side ot the ridge or bed makes the holes. Plant 

 the roots about tour inches below^ the surface of the bed. The 

 owner ought to drop the roots himself. Two men, one on each 

 side, cover up the roots, and press every hill as you do with corn. 

 The holes should be about one foot apart, and six inches from the 

 edge of the bed or ridge. (These distances of the plants from 

 each other are about right, yet in a very rich and suitable jBeld 

 one would make the plants stand a loot and a half apart.) If 

 the plants have leaved out a little, then' let the leaves be out of 

 the ground ; they ought not to be smothered up. 



When the new plant is three or four inches high, weed with a 

 hoe, and plow with one horse between the beds, but not on them. 

 This will be about three weeks after setting out. When the new 

 plants are about one foot high, many of the tops will fall over, 

 help them with ten foot poles crossing the beds. After plowing 

 the beds, use the shovel to throw the loose earth around the 

 plants. You wish to keep each hill separate. About the 20th 

 of June, plow again between the beds, and use the shovel to throw 

 earth between the plants. Then you may, if you please, plant 

 potatoes between the beds. I do not recommend it, but I raised 

 one thousand and seventy bushels of pink eyes on eight acres in 

 madder, the first year, and sixty bushels of corn. When snow 



