212 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



JAK. 3, 1S< 



For the N. E. Farmer. 



MANURING ROOT CROPS WITH THEIR 

 TOI'S. 



Mr Breck — In a former communication tn yonr 

 paper, I promised to give the result of an oxperi- 

 menl which I waa induced to make from the eug. 

 gestion or experience of one of your correspon- 

 dents. He said thai " if tlia tops of several kinds 

 of root crops were left on the ground where they 

 grew, that the next crop of the same kind would 

 be as good as the precedinpf, and so on from year 

 to year, without a resort to rotation." 



After harvesting a piece of carrots in 1842, the 

 tops were thrown into heaps and covered with dirt. 

 In the spring, the heaps were spread evenly over 

 the ground and plowed in with the manure for 

 another crop of carrots. The ground, each year, 

 was first planted with onions, and ahout six weeks 

 after, planted again with carrots. In 1843, the on- 

 ion crop was almost a failure, from planting old 

 seed, wliich gave the carrots a bettei chance. The 

 present year, the onions did well, and yielded at 

 the rate of 290 hiishels an acre more than the for- 

 mer crop, while the carrots fell short 150 busliels 

 an acre. The last carrots, either by some defect 

 in the seed, or planting, did not come up well ; 

 spaces of several feet in every row were missing. 

 I also suffered more vines to grow among them 

 this year than last ; and then a very severe drought 

 last summer had a tendency to lessen the crop. 

 Considering all the disavantages, the yield was 

 good; the roots were as large and smoother than 

 the former crop, which, I have no douht, with the 

 same chance, would have been heavier. So that, 

 on the whole, the experiment has strengthened my 

 faith in the efficacy of the application of the tops 

 to the succeeding crop, and convinced me that they 

 restore to the soil a portion of that specific food 

 which the former crop had exhausted. 



A statement of the produce of the same piece of 

 ground for 1842, was inserted last winter in the 

 N. E. Farmer, (vol. xxi. p. 243,) which was said to 

 be a i^ood crop, but as it has given a better yield 

 tliis year, will briefly state the expense of cultiva- 

 tion, together with the quantity and value of the 

 crop. 



The spot of land is a little island on a marsh, 

 that contains one-fourth part of an acre. Soil, 

 rather sanily, very free and easy to work, and but 

 little inclined to weeds. Fifteen single horse- 

 loads of hor/-pen and barnyard manure were plowed 

 in, and 20 bushels of ashes worked in with a rake. 

 On the 14ih of April, 9 oz. of onion seed was plant- 

 ed in rows two feet apart. After hoeing twice, 8 

 oz. of carrot seed was planted the 1st day of June, 

 between the rows of onions, and the whole hoed 

 twice more. Sold 91 bushels of onions by meas- 

 ure, and re.'ferved two barrels. The carrots were 

 Bold by weight, 104 1-2 bushels, and put 42 1-2 

 bushels, by measure, in my cellar. I also raised 

 on the same spot, 1870 lbs. winter squashes and 

 J260 lbs. citron melons. Sold 1085 lbs. squashes 

 at one cent a pound, and a part of the citrons at the 1 

 same price. Kept no particular acount of the cit- 

 rons — they were not saleable : gave away more 

 than I sold. Paid 50 cents a load for the manure, 

 and 13 1-2 cents a bushel for the ashes. 



The proceeds of the crop and expense of culli- 

 vation stand thus : 



Produce. 

 96 bush, onions at 40 cts. ,$,38 40 



147 do. carrots at 17 " 24 99 



3130 lbs. squashes and citrons at 4c. 15 05 



Amount of crop, . ^79 04 



Erpense. 

 Manure, including ashes, $10 00 



Onion and carrot seed, 94 



19 1-2 days labor, at 75 cts. 14 62 



4 1-2 do. do. horse, at 75 cts. 3 38 



Cost of cultivation, §28 94 



Net profits of 1-4 acre, $50 10 



The crop of 1842, was 20 bush, onions, ISO 

 bush, carrots, and about 1000 lbs. squashes, not 

 weighed. 



The most correct way of trying the experiment 

 with the root tops, would be to confine the ground 

 to one kind of crop, but when I was reminded of 

 it by your correspondent, my different kinds were 

 then growing ; and therefore concluded that the 

 most correct trial would be to cultivate the piece 

 in the same way again. 



Thus I have endeavored, with some degree of 

 accuracy, to give the result of the experiment, and 

 will leave it for the reador to judge how much the 

 tops benefit the succeeding crop. I am fully con- 

 vinced that if the last crop of carrots had come up 

 as well as the first, had not been injured by the 

 drought, nor overrun with vines, that it would have 

 been equally as good, if not better, notwithstand- 

 ing I get about five times as many onions. Have 

 left the tops on tt»e ground again for another crop 

 of carrots, and should a farther trial show a differ- 

 ent result, with your indulgence, the public shall 

 have the benefit. Q 



Wickford, R. 1., Dec. 1843. 



Bemarfrs.— Statements like the above are just 

 what we want. We feel greatly obliged to our 

 valued correspondent for his repeated contributions 

 to the N. E. Farmer. The details of his succes- 

 sive operations on the same piece of land, will be 

 duly appreciated by nil our readers. It appears 

 that the profits of the same lot of land (one-quarter 

 acre,) in 1842, was ,$21 37, or at the rate of $85 48 

 per acre; and last year, at the rate of $200 64 : 

 this is quite an increase— and if the profits could 

 be made to augment in the same ratio from year 

 to year, it would not be necessary to cultivate a 

 very large lot to support a family. But this is not 

 possible. The statement exemplifies the impor- 

 tance of thorough cultivation. It shows that it is 

 much better to improve a liltU and !«.■<■//, rather than 

 to half cultivate four times the quantity. We 

 have no doubt of the correctness of the theory that 

 every crop is best manured with it.-: own decompos- 

 ing matter or substance. It is said to be so with 

 the grape vine. The superfluous wood and foiliage 

 taken off with the pruning knife, is said to be 

 amply sufficient to manure and keep in good order 

 a vineyard. This is the reason, no doubt, why 

 onions, as said, do as well and even better, on the 

 ground where they have been many years cultiva- 

 ted. The tops are cut and left on the field where 

 the onions grow. We should be glad to hear from 

 our correspondent more frequent than once a year. 



Early Rising. — In forty years, a man who rises 

 at six in the morning, lives ten years longer, in 

 one sense, than one who lies in bed two°hours 

 longer a day. 



DISEASE IN POTATOES. 



In our paper of the 5th inst., we alluded to 

 disease in potatoes ; and as every thing relai 

 to this subjr-ct is of vital importance to the fa, 

 who raises, and all persons who make use of 

 statTfor the table — and who is there that does 



relish a good potato with his meals .' we 



subjoin the opinions of several persons upon 

 rot in the potato. 



Dr. G. B. Smith, of Baltimore, gives it as 

 opinion, that the disease is a fimcru.,^ beloni'in 

 the same class of vegetable growth as rust 

 smut in wheat and corn, and mould and mill 

 He recommends, as a restorative, (not havin<T 

 made any experiments,) that all diseased pota 

 he carefully taken out and thrown away; and 

 finely pulverized lime, either slacked or uiislac 

 be sprinkled among the healthy potatoes, 

 enough to whiten their surfaces slightly. 



Mr Tyler Fountain, of PeekskTll, N. Y., i 

 communication on the subject to the Albany C 

 vator, says, in substance, as follows: 



" Many of the farmers in these parts, have 

 their crop of potatoes entirely, and others have 

 fered considerable damage, in consequence ( 

 singular destruction of the crop. The potal 

 when dug, appeared to look as fine as usual ; 

 when put in heaps in the field, and covere 

 usual, they became a rotten mass. In a dry 

 lar, they held their usual appearance toler 

 well, except somewhat darkened and little shr: 

 ed, but on breaking them open, it was found 

 their surface, about a quarter of an inch in th 

 nes.^", was of a dark brown, and some of them 

 tirely through were of the same color. M 

 usually raises from 2000 to 3000 bushels of p 

 toes yearly : this year his crop was a very fair 

 He fed his hogs with these potatoes, as usual ; 

 having heard it rumored that they were poisoi 

 to hogs, he could not believe it, as his hogs 

 not been fed on any thing cL^e, except a si 

 quantity of corn, once a day. He soon found 

 his hogs began to cough, pant, and appear ! 

 worried in a hot day : in about one week i 

 they were taken, they refused to eat, and fin 

 after a few days Ihey died — no doubt from t 

 being previously fed upon these diseased potat 



Mr John M. Harlan, of Chester county, Pe 

 in a communication in the same paper, among o 

 things, says : " A very strange fatality has atlen 

 the cultivation of the potato this year, which 

 oldest inhabitants have never before witnes 

 This disease has spread through the whole of 

 crop with an amazing rapidity, from one potat 

 another, until the whole are more or less affec 

 When the disease has once taken hold of tl 

 where they are in heaps, the stench that eman; 

 from them is almost insupportable to the olfaci 

 nerves. Many farmers have left them to de 

 and rem.iin where they grew ; others placed tt 

 on dry, cool floors, spread out to dry ; but 

 plague spread among them, and few have b 

 saved — but about onefflh ot the whole crop; 

 what are saved, are not of so good a quality a<l 

 good seasons. The doctors say none should 

 eaten, either by man or beast, for fear of delet 

 ous effects. Many hogs have died from eat 

 them. Speaking of the first appearance of 

 disease, Mr Harlan says : " I have frequently s 

 a small, dark, mortified kind of spot, the size o 

 finger-nail, on the potato, whence issued bubl 

 of matter ; soon the potato would be entirely £ 

 filled with a yellowish matter, slimy, and somew 



