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AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
Among the Farmers.—No. 25. 
BY ONE OP THEM. 
I have heard from several sources the Intimation 
that the hint that improvement in farm practice 
was indicated by the quantity of roots grown, as 
suggested in a recent letter, was quite correct, and 
that in every part of the country the great need of 
agriculture is 
More Roots. 
I have sometimes thought that the reason we did 
not cultivate more roots was because we have no 
regular place for them in the rotation to which 
time-honored custom subjects mowing land, when 
the grass grows thin, and we think it ought to be 
“taken up.” We swing around the circle—corn, 
potatoes, oats, (or rye), seeding down at the same 
time ; and then mow as long as we can ; or we fol¬ 
low some other rotation, sowing a few turnips as a 
“catch crop,” perhaps, where early potatoes have 
come off; and so getting a ton or two every year. 
This is not enough. When milch cows can not 
have grass, they ought to have, at least, half a 
bushel of roots a day. At that rate, each cow will 
eat half a ton a month, allowing about 10 per cent 
for loss. That quantity is none too much for dry 
stock which are being well wintered. Our farmers 
are well aware that the better cows are wintered, 
the surer and better are their returns when they 
come in. Yet roots make so much milk that I find 
where milk can not be sold, it makes so much 
work in winter with usually poor returns, that an 
abundance is objectionable, and so there is little in¬ 
ducement to grow roots. However, milk in winter 
is becoming desirable over almost the whole coun¬ 
try. Intelligent farmers are studying the Guenon 
system which, if it have a real value, indicates which 
cows will hold out well with their milk, and which 
will not; and does this while they are mere calves. 
Seeding Down to Grass YVitli Roots. 
I did not intend to convey the idea in the Decem¬ 
ber number that seeding land down with turnips 
was a new discovery, for I have seen it practised 
and written about it before, but have never done it. 
I remember seeing on the Island of Jersey, a beau¬ 
tiful stand of grass and clover, so thick and strong 
in October that it looked like a spring seeding, and 
yet it had been sowed with turnips in July. The 
roots had been pulled from a good part of the field 
for feeding to the cows in the byres, and the ani¬ 
mals were then being tethered upon the grass. On 
those parts of the field where the roots were grow¬ 
ing in spots, they were almost hidden by the strong 
rye grass. Yet the yield seemed to me very large. 
It is sometimes risky to apply such foreign practice 
in this country, our climate is so different. The 
summers are hot and dry, and our times of sowing 
and harvesting differ also. Nevertheless, this is a 
case in which it would seem we might transplant 
the custom with success. In fact, I hear of so 
many cases of successful practice, that it may be 
confidently recommended. 
A letter from Judge Fullerton, of the New York 
Bar and Bench, but whose large farm is in the 
vicinity of Washington, says that he has prac¬ 
tised seeding down with roots with entire success. 
1 went over my neighbor bailee’s farm, at Cress- 
kill, the other day, and saw several things worth 
making a note of. One was the excellent stand of 
grass where Swedes had been raised. It is new 
practice with him, but he likes it very much. The 
roots are sown in drills, but the culture is flat, and 
the land, after the roots are pulled, is so level that 
a mowing machine might be used on the field. The 
grass was sown in August, and makes as much 
show on the ground as late sown winter grain. 
Mr. Crozier tells me that there is no difficulty 
about sowing grain, or grass, with mangels or 
sugar-beets, with as good success as with turnips, 
even though the ground be ridged and manured in 
the ridges. The culture tends so to flatten the 
ridges, that by the first of August, which is as early 
as grass or grain ought to be sowed, or it may be a 
little earlier, in case the growth of the roots is such 
that the crop must be “ laid by,” it is for all useful 
ends level. The seed will start well under the 
shade of the leaves, and, as a rule, these begin to 
wither at the base, sufficiently to give light and air 
to the young grass plants, while they are sheltered 
from too great heat. Sometimes the shade is too 
much for the good of the grain or grass, but as 
the season advances it catches up. 
Tile Kln«l of Roots to Raise. 
A good deal depends upon distance from market. 
If farmers are near as are Bergen County and Long 
Island farmers, it is worth while to put in root 
crops that may either be sold or fed. This might 
lead to settling down in favor of Swedish turnips, 
carrots, and parsnips, for the principal crops. 
The IBest Swede is undoubtedly the “Sham¬ 
rock.” It comes to this country from England, and 
its name ought to make it a favorite with farmers 
and gardeners from the Emerald Isle. Having the 
merit of growing very quickly, and attaining a large 
size, while it is smooth and fair in outline, with very 
little neck, it is adapted to both marketing and 
feeding, to an unusual degree. Sowed late, it pro¬ 
duces the fairest market crops ; sowed early, few, 
if any, varieties exceed it in size, and if it be in soil 
adapted to its rapid growth, its flavor is sweet, and 
it is unusually free from pithiness and woody 
fibres. Among the several slightly-varying kinds 
which pass under the name of the “ Improved 
American Rutabaga,” some are excellent, and per¬ 
haps equal to the “Shamrock,” but the name does 
not indicate, by any means, so constant qualities. 
The SScst Msiisg el. —In regard to this, I find 
opinions vary a good deal. The “Long-Red ” is the 
old favorite, and it may be that a greater weight of 
fodder maybe produced to the acre of the improved 
varieties of this than of other kinds, but the Globe 
Mangels are growing greatly in favor, especially 
those of the richest yellow color of the flesh. This 
color being more or less imparted to the milk and 
butter, it becomes an object to cultivate those 
which possess it. The old “Yellow Globe” has 
been improved by several parties, and of the yellow 
kinds which are new, and have been well tested, 
“ Warden’s Orange Globe,” and the “New Kinver,” 
are decidedly the favorites. The latter is one 
which some of our best growers extol highly, 
equally for yield, for smoothness, and for color. 
The varieties claiming special favor originating 
from the Long-Red, and much like it, only growing 
larger, and smoother, and with less neck, are “ Car¬ 
ter’s Mammoth,” and the “ Norbiton Giant.” The 
amount of leaf which some of the improved sorts 
have, seems absurdly small compared with the 
great bulk of the roots, yet this very peculiarity 
would recommend them in case one wanted to sow 
grass or grain with the crop. 
XBie IBest Carrol, both for feeding and for 
general marketing, is, without question, the “ Half- 
long Orauge,” called also “Half-long Red” by some. 
This is precisely the color of the “Long Orange” car¬ 
rot, but is much shorter, having quite the character 
of a direct cross between the “Early Horn ” and the 
“ Long Orange.” This medium-sized carrot is an 
enormous cropper, of a smooth, beautiful shape 
and color, carrying its thickness well to the tip, and 
a very attractive market sort as well as an excellent 
table variety. In fact, it seems to leave little im¬ 
provement possible, or at least probable. It should 
be borne in mind that imported seed is not nearly 
so good as the best American. 
'5'ls<‘ S£c<st is probably the “Long, 
Smooth White,”—best, because it yields large 
crops, and is smooth and long. The several varie¬ 
ties of long parsnips are much alike, and there is 
little choice between them. 
Corn Foeltler—A Great. Crop. 
Once or twice during the summer I passed a fine 
field of corn, sowed in drills, not far from Mr. 
Farlee’s, and had a suspicion that he had been hir¬ 
ing a piece of ground for the purpose ; but why he 
should take an old worn-out field, which had lain 
idle long enough to have cedar trees four inches in 
diameter at the root, growing upon a good part of 
it, I did not see. As I was saying, I went over his 
farm a few days ago. My errand was to see his 
fine herd of Jerseys, and well worth the visit as 
they were, that field of corn made quite as strong 
[February, 
an impression. The land, it seems, has been held 
for speculative purposes, and is owned by a rela¬ 
tive, so Mr. Farlee obtained the use of it rent free 
if he would grub out the cedars, and put it in good 
cultivation. This, most people would think, was 
paying dearly for the use of the land ; but it lay 
convenient, and the sequel shows his plan was a 
good one. The cedars were grubbed out, the land 
plowed, furrowed out, liberally dressed with hen- 
manure compost in the drills, and sowed with corn 
for fodder. It was kept clean, and the corn made 
an enormous growth. The season was very favor¬ 
able. Mr. Farlee cuts up his corn fodder, and after 
it wilts upon the ground for a day or two, if the 
weather be favorable, otherwise at once, it is set 
up in big stooks, and securely bound. These stooks 
are twice as large as ordinary corn-stooks—they are 
constructed around a slooking-horse, and the corn 
fodder is left in them all winter, or until consumed. 
When brought into the barn, those are selected 
which show signs of weakness—of course, first any 
which may have blown over, though if well set up 
this does not occur very often. The outer leaves 
and stalks are of course considerably weathered, 
but within the color is green and fresh, and cattle 
eat almost the whole. The value of this single crop 
will pay for the clearing, and all the labor and 
manure required to produce it, and leave a hand¬ 
some balance over. 
I have never seen corn fodder better secured, nor 
in better shape for standing well through the win¬ 
ter. A small portion only of it will be damaged by 
contact with the soil, and the labor of harvesting 
this crop, which is such a bug-bear as to prevent 
many farmers from undertaking to raise it, or as 
much of it as they would like, is thus reduced to a 
minimum—certainly less than securing the hay crop 
which would be produced on the same land. 
Writing about raising fodder corn reminds me of 
the importance of 
Cutting Corn Fodder 
when it isfed out. My cows are getting little else now 
in the way of dry fodder. It is cut by hand, in inch 
bits, moistened with scalding water, sprinkled 
with rye bran and a little corn and oatmeal, covered 
up with a rubber cloth, and left to soak and swell 
from morning to evening, and evening to morning. 
The result is, it is eaten up very clean, a double 
handful of buts a day being all that the most 
fastidious cow rejects. In cutting up a bundle 
of exceedingly large, coarse stalks, the cuts just 
at the but are made four or five inches long, on 
purpose to have them in shape to go into the 
manure. The cutting box which I use, is on the 
principle of the old-fashioned “ cutting box and 
hay-knife,” but much stronger, heavier, wider in 
the throat, or narrow part of the box, and easier to 
work. It is known as Clark’s hay-cutter, and costs 
87 or 88, I believe—at any rate, mine did. It may 
be regulated to cut about one inch to an inch and a 
half long, but I prefer to leave it so that the length 
of the cut may be optional with the cutter. 
When large quantities of stalks, straw, or hay, 
are to be cut, of course no such “ one-horse ” 
apparatus as mine is admissible. A power cutter is 
needed, and is by far the most economical. These 
may be operated by horse, bull, or steam power, 
and there are several really first-class machines. 
The English name for implements for this pur¬ 
pose is “Chaff Cutters.” That is, machines for 
converting hay, straw, etc., into chaff, and certainly 
finely-cut hay, or even corn stalks, is very like 
what we call chaff—that is, oat or wheat chaff. I 
wish our manufacturers would adopt this name—it 
is surely a good one ; and we have cutters enough 
without this application of the word. 
Hay-Knives or Stack-Cutters. 
I have never had much experience with hay- 
knifes, and yet have used several of different pat¬ 
terns. Lately, however, I have been using one of 
the “ Weymouth Patent Knives,” and an admirable 
one it is. It is made sword-shaped, with a zig-zag 
edge, the front edge of the zig-zag only being shar¬ 
pened. It is certainly not more than half the labor 
to cut through the hay with this knife, that it is 
with the ordinary ones. The benefit of cutting 
