178 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
will not hurt them, and is even said by some, to 
be beneficial. The leaves, with the exception 
of a few of the largest and best, may be taken 
from the roots for some weeks before harvesting, 
and fed to advantage, as they are nutritious, and 
stock are fond of them. 
For topping and pulling the crop, an instru¬ 
ment like a hoe, with prongs, fork shaped, run¬ 
ning back from the blade, is the best that we 
have seen for the purpose. If the blade is 
sharpened, a blow will take off the tops, then 
reversing the instrument, the root is easily 
pulled. Throw them into rows far enough 
apart, to admit driving a cart or wagon between 
them, leaving the roots on the ground till they 
are dry, before gathering. In this way, one 
man can gather nearly a hundred bushels a 
day. 
They may be put into a house cellar, but not 
in too large quantities, as they would be apt to 
heat. A barn cellar is better, because generally 
cooler. Those who have not either of these 
conveniences, should select a spot of naturally 
dry ground, and put them up in heaps for the 
winter. Pile the roots on the surface, or at 
most but a few inches below—making the heap 
about four feet broad at the bottom, and ex¬ 
tending up as high as they can be made to lie 
readily, till they terminate in a ridge. These 
heaps can be made of any length—the longer 
the better—as it saves work in covering. Then 
with straw next the roots, cover with a depth of 
earth, according to the latitude. But they must 
not be covered too warm. 
A good plan would be to draw up from the 
covering of straw, a large wisp, so that it will 
stand higher than the rest, and not cover this, 
till the heating, or sweating process—which all 
products thus buried undergo—is over. If the 
heap is a long one, several such wisps might be 
drawn up to advantage throughout its length. 
These wisps serve as openings to the heap, 
through which the heated, impure air may es¬ 
cape, and yet shut out the frost effectually.— 
These wisps should be pointed so as to shed off 
water. 
Store cattle, or stock of any kind, can have 
the roots given them cut, and do well upon 
them, and for fattening animals, the less exer¬ 
tion they make to get the food they require, the 
better. To prepare the roots for feeding, they 
should be cut or sliced small enough so that 
there can be no danger from choking. Feeders 
can suit themselves as to the kind of instrument 
preferable for this purpose. We would advise 
cutting them up finely in all cases. The Eng¬ 
lish farmers extensively practice feeding sheep 
upon them in the fields without pulling. Their 
mild winters admit this practice better than 
ours, especially in colder sections, where they 
would be frozen for several months. 
- - 
INJURY DONE TO CATTLE ON THE WAY TO 
MARKET. 
In a recent conversation with one of our New- 
York butchers, we were speaking of the injury 
done to cattle on the way to market, by bruising 
in the cars, cruelty in driving, &c. lie stated 
that he had frequently made observations on 
this subject, and we requested him to note down 
some of these for the Agriculturist. In reply 
to this request we received the following, which 
will be found worthy of perusal: 
For the American Agriculturist. 
A promise made sometime ago, and your fur¬ 
ther late request that I would give some of my 
experience and observation! relating to the in¬ 
jury done to beef cattle in driving and transport¬ 
ing by water or on railroads for the New-York 
market, is my apology for this article. If any 
thing I can say on this subject and those rela¬ 
ting to it, told in my plain way, will be of any 
practical benefit, it will be at your disposal. 
Twenty years ago, the State of New-York, 
with Connecticut, almost wholly supplied our 
city with neat cattle about three parts of the 
year, and Pennsylvania and Ohio made up the 
other part, which was principally through the 
summer season. But the rapid increase of 
population or consumers in our great and grow¬ 
ing city, has greatly exceeded the productions 
of the graziers of both New-York and Connecti¬ 
cut ; in fact, fewer cattle are now raised and 
grazed than were at that period. I need but 
refer you to Dutchess County. The number 
now sent from there (and for several years past) 
to our city, is less than one-half! The farmers 
and graziers that formerly fatted from fifty to 
seventy-five cattle, now turn off some ten or 
fifteen, and their extra land is more profitably 
employed for grain and other purposes. I may 
say that this is pretty nearly so throughout the 
States of New-York and Connecticut, therefore 
we have had to depend on Pennsylvania, Ohio, 
Kentucky, Virginia, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, 
and Arkansas. Although we still have enough 
weekly to supply the demand of our market, 
which is at present about 3000 head, yet the 
fact is, the consumers are growing faster than 
the producers , and if our railroads should have 
another destruction or stoppage, as they had 
some few weeks ago, and for a period of two or 
three weeks, the New-Yorkers would for a 
while be in a state of starvation for “ fresh beef.” 
Ffteen or twenty years ago, driving cattle on 
foot was the principal mode of getting them 
here. They were started—say from Illinois— 
with about 100 in a drove, and about the time 
when they could feed on grass on their way, at 
a very slow rate, say eight miles per day, and 
so continued for sometimes 10 to 12 weeks be¬ 
fore they would arrive here, at a cost of from 5 
to 8 dollars per head. Sometimes through im¬ 
proper driving or care, they arrived in very bad 
condition; losing in flesh and fat, especially 
from the inside, and lessening the value of the 
beast 10 to 15 dollars. The flesh, by this im¬ 
proper driving, would be dry, hard, tough and 
tasteless—in fact all driven animals from any 
great distance will be so, more or less—but the 
flesh from the same fat animal, taken directly 
from the “barn-yard,” will be juicy, well flavored, 
and tender. I might compare them to a horse 
that is kept tied up without work and well fed; 
his flesh will be soft, fat and tender, but use and 
work him hard, the juices and soft fat will sweat 
out of him, and after a while leave him with a 
firm, dry, hard, and a tough flesh, capable of 
wear and long endurance. 
But the driving has been very much improved 
upon ; more care, attention, and strong feeding 
(with grains) have been introduced, with great 
advantage both to the drover and butcher. 
The transportation of cattle by water and on 
the railroad, is certainly the best and cheapest 
plan, provided suitable arrangements and care 
ful handling can be given, but often you will see 
among some of the droves, several that look as 
if they had been scalded, burned, and bruised. 
Sometimes in driving them on board a steamer, 
they get roughly handled, and are placed too 
near the boiler or furnace ; and in putting them 
on a rail-tar, they are crowded and cramped to¬ 
gether, without being tied by the head, from 14 
to 16 animals on a car; and the result is, that a 
sudden start of the “ iron horse” throw's some 
of them down, or against one another, and again 
after a delay, (and it is sometimes days), the ani¬ 
mals living without nourishment, are hungry, 
thirsty, and w r eak ; not able to stand so long a 
time, they get down, and are trampled upon by 
one another, and by the time they get to our 
market, are in a bruised and miserable con¬ 
dition. I have seen many of them in this 
bruised, scalded, burnt, sickly, and feverish con¬ 
dition, with swollen rumps, hips, ribs, and 
shoulders, others with burnt sides, buttocks, 
heads, and running sores. Certainly no animal 
in this condition could be otherwise than fever¬ 
ish and sickly ; and of course not proper nor 
wholesome food ; but they are all sold to some 
body, and at some price. But of late our drovers 
have given more attention and care to this sub¬ 
ject, as many of our best butchers will not 
knowingly buy from those who have these in¬ 
jured cattle. I must confess that I have been 
caught sometimes with these cattle and with 
loss, the injuries not being always perceptible 
when living. 
This carrying system should be improved 
upon. The cars should have “moveable stalls,” 
and the cattle be tied head to the front, where they 
can be fed, out of moveable racks, and watered 
by running a trough in front of them at the 
watering places, and careful men to take charge 
of them. This all will cost money, but the dif¬ 
ference in the value of the animals, on their ar¬ 
rival in our market, will w’ell pay the extra ex¬ 
pense, and give pleasure, health, and more sat¬ 
isfaction to the consumer. 
Tnos. F. Devoe. 
Butcher , Nos. 7 A 8 Jefferson MarTcet. 
A'eio-Xork, May 1C, 1854. 
- • • » - - 
THE ROUEN DUCK. 
It is indisputably certain that the most hardy 
variety of duck is the. Rouen; and from this 
cause it is that they are frequently kept with a 
degree of profit and success very rarely attained 
where other kinds are preferred. 
The late winter having been one of unusual 
severity, has afforded any careful observer an op¬ 
portunity of putting to the test the respective 
hardihood displayed by all the different kinds of 
domestic poultry ; and I thought the differences 
thus showm would, perchance, in some instances 
be a very useful “ tell-tale for future beginners,” 
therefore failed not on every possible occasion 
that came under my notice, to jot down my ex¬ 
periences, for the united benefit of your sub¬ 
scribers and myself. My favorable opinion of 
the Rouen duck was greatly strengthened by 
such careful observations, and convinced me 
that of all kinds these are the most useful; and 
at the same time there are very few parties who 
will not freely admit that for beauty of plumage 
few (if any) excel them. They commence lay¬ 
ing sooner in the spring than any other ducks, 
are infinitely more hardy than the Aylesbury 
(even where kept on the same farm,) and indeed 
bear well trials from keen and inclement weather 
that would quickly destroy all hopes of immedi¬ 
ate benefit from the more delicate breeds. This 
is by no means so unimportant an advantage as 
some persons at the first sight imagine; for al¬ 
though the unusual severity of the past winter 
prevented many persons in this neighborhood 
having any eggs whatever from their ducks, and 
all the Aylesburys round about discontinued 
laying during the more intense portion of the 
late season, this variety both laid well, and also 
brought out their ducklings in due course, ap¬ 
parently regardless of, and uninjured by, the 
sore trials to which they were exposed. On 
this day (March 20th, 1854) I am not aware of 
any other variety in this surrounding district 
that can vie with some Rouens, as to the early 
maturity of their ducklings, for of three ducks 
iwo have now broods nearly equal in size to 
themselves, and are again laying; the third be¬ 
ing sitting, and will hatch in a few days, (the 
latter duck was herself produced late last sea¬ 
son.) It is obvious these ducklings have not 
had the best time for growth and improvement, 
still they appear very hearty and well-doing; 
and even had their owner been compelled to 
dispose of them for killing purposes only, the 
difference in their value thus early in the sea¬ 
son, (and consequently scarce in the market,) 
and a few months to come, when ducklings will 
