AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 255 



not harder work than hoeing, and one man can do as much as 

 five with hoes. The retail price is eight dollars. The inventor 

 is the Rev. H. D. Ganse of Freehold, N. J., son of the exhibitor. 

 The implement is a good one, but like all new patent machines it 

 is held too high. It is called a truck-cultivator. A more ap- 

 propriate name would be a wheel-hoe. Jerseymen say its use will 

 largely increase the cultivation of carrots and other root-crops 

 which require a great deal of hand-hoeing. 



Dr. Watson of Staten Island, presented hops from a hop tree, 

 indigenous with us. He observed that it contained one-third 

 more of lupuline, the bitter principle of the hop, than our com- 

 mon hop. They were distributed among the members. 



The Chairman called up the subject of thq day : 



THE ROOT. 



Henry C. Vail of Newark, said he was sorry to find so few per- 

 sons ready to speak upon this important subject. It might be 

 said it was hackneyed ; but knowing as he did the value of in- 

 creasing the production of roots, he wished he had the ability to 

 impressjts importance upon farmers. But he came to hear, not 

 to speak. Yet he thought it was the duty of every one to lend 

 all his influence to increase our supply of food. He was satisfied 

 that oats could not be raised on land worth over thirty dollars 

 an acre without a loss to the grower. English journals are just 

 beginning to concede that this is a great country; and yet we, 

 with all our fertile acres are upon the point of suffering for food. 

 No root-crop can be grown but by deep culture, and then great 

 products may be obtained. Every root is surrounded with a 

 mass of fine roots that feed the main root. The soil must be rich. 

 Coarse manure is unsuitable. If the soil is deep and rich a root- 

 crop may be grown upon reversed sod if plowed deeply. Cattle 

 can be fed cheaper on roots than any other crop the fiirmer grows, 

 and they are more profitable probably than any other crop. I am 

 satisfied that horses will do much better on an equal amount of 

 money invested in oats and carrots than when all oats. My fa- 

 ther has raised and fed carrots extensively and is perfectly satis- 

 fied of the profit of the crop and economy of its use on tlie farm 

 as well as for sale. 



Mr. Judd doubts the value of carrots for feeding horses. He 

 wants information from more persons who have used carrots. 

 He has no faith in them. 



