1861. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



229 



be more certain and pay as well, he thought it 

 would be a great advantage. The question with 

 him was, whether the root crop was of sufficient 

 value to grazing farmers, or those who had, per- 

 haps, a couple of hundred acres of good grazing 

 land, to justify them in di\erting a part of their 

 manures to highly cultivate sufficient land for root 

 culture. We know, said he, that on good land, 

 with very high cultivation, enormous yields could 

 be got, but it was doubtful to his mind, whether 

 among the class of farmers he had mentioned, 

 this would pay. 



Col. White, of Petersham, spoke of the im- 

 portance of root culture to farmers, and said he 

 had regretted to hear, at previous meetings, prac- 

 tical men doubt the advantages of this crop. In 

 his section of the State few had gone into it, but 

 those who had paid attention to it had done well. 

 There was a good deal of good hay about where 

 he resided, and some that was poor, and these ad- 

 vocates of root culture there had found they could 

 do better by giving part roots and part poor hay 

 to their cattle, than if they fed entirely on good 

 hay, and he was satisfied that he could keep ten 

 cows better on roots and poor hay than by the 

 entire use of the best hay alone. He wanted to 

 know what kind of roots were the best to raise. 

 He had done very well with ruta baga and man- 

 golds, but the sugar beet had been spoken of by 

 the Chairman, and he was desirous to ascertain 

 whether that would not be more profitable. He 

 •was also in want of information as to how to fol- 

 low root crops — whether beets after turnips, or in 

 what order they should be grown. His neighbors 

 were going extensively into root culture and there 

 was a very general feeling among them that it 

 would pay. 



The Chairman said it had been very generally 

 conceded that a tap-rooted plant should follow a 

 flat-rooted one, and vice versa, as the ground is 

 found by this course to be in better condition for 

 a good crop. He spoke of the advantages from 

 this course, the feeding qualities of the soil being 

 thus brought near the surface. He said that In- 

 dian corn should never follow ruta baga, as in 

 very many instances in which he had known of 

 its being tried he had never heard that it succeed- 

 ed. He did not know why this was, but it was 

 an undoubted fact. 



Dr. George B. Loring, of Salem, was glad 

 to see the change that was taking place in the 

 minds of farmers in relation to the value of root 

 crops. The culture of root crops might be con- 

 sidered high farming, but he would not recom- 

 mend every farmer to raise roots, as where the 

 value of hay was extremely low, and where, of 

 necessity, a farmer is compelled to raise corn 

 for his own consumption, root culture is of doubt- 

 ful expediency. Where one or two tons of hay 



are raised to the acre, and this is worth only $10 

 per ton, it is preferable to roots, for the reason 

 that the roots cost so much more than the hay 

 can be sold for ; but where a farmer can buy his 

 corn cheaper than he can raise it, or can sell his 

 hay at city prices, then roots are indispensable. 

 Taking hay as the standard at 100, Swedes or ru- 

 ta bagas would stand in nutritive qualities 300, 

 mangolds 400, carrots 250 and corn 52. Thus 

 2t tons of carrots were equal to 1 ton of hay, and 

 where, in high farming, a fair crop of carrots is 

 20 tons to the acre ; this is equal to 8 tons of hay ; 

 while 500 bushels of carrots are equal to 100 

 of corn, it is easier to raise the carrots than 

 the corn ; thus the question whether it is profita- 

 ble to divert manure for raising root crops, is 

 answered by this. The raising of roots should be 

 regulated by the wants of the farmer. Swedes 

 and other turnips are the most profitable roots on 

 which to fat cattle, as they can be raised so much 

 cheaper than mangolds, as no more mangolds 

 will grow on the same ground than turnips. Man- 

 golds for dairy farming are, perhaps, the best, as, 

 with a little meal, they cause a free flow of milk 

 and keep cows in good condition. One trouble 

 in root culture is that farmers put them too thick 

 and the rows too close together. He planted 

 Swedes and mangolds 2 to 2A feet apart, in rows, 

 so that he could cultivate with a horse hoe well, 

 and this he found the best method ; carrots were 

 more difficult to cultivate, but he pursued a simi- 

 lar course. He agreed with the Chairman as to 

 following root crops, but he felt sure carrots 

 could be grown on the same land two years in 

 succession, and he thought three. A light soil 

 was best for smooth Swedes, a solid substantial 

 clayey one for mangolds, and carrots would do 

 well anywhere, if well manured and cultivated. 



Mr. Wetherell, of Boston, spoke of reports 

 of experiments made in raising the English tur- 

 nips by men in Massachusetts, New Hampshire 

 and Rhode Island, the result of which appeared 

 in the Patent Office Report, and in which the 

 parties had used 25 cords of manure to the acre, 

 and had only raised 10 or 12 tons of turnips, as 

 also of the analysis made of the English turnip, 

 by Prof. Donellson, of England, showing that hay 

 stood as 5 to 1 of turnips in nutritive qualities. 

 He then called attention to the report of Mr. At- 

 water, of the State Board of Agriculture, on root 

 culture, and said that from this report it would 

 be seen that the Board of Agriculture does not 

 consider the turnip culture advisable. The speak- 

 er thought that when we can raise 75 bushels of 

 corn to the acre, it was far better than raising 

 roots. In relation to the failure of the corn crop, 

 he said that, in 16 years out of 20, the corn crop 

 had been successful in this State, while the tur- 

 nip crop was a decidedly uncertain crop. 



