1854 . 
THE CULTIVATOR 
143 
Discrepant Opinions. 
At a late discussion on the value of roots for feeding 
cows, before one of the Agricultural meetings at Bos¬ 
ton, several interesting statements were made. J. W. 
Proctor said the product of the carrot crop was 16 to 
20 tons to the acre—and the value in market was half 
that of hay—making a good acre of carrots equal to 
10 tons of hay. Col. Lincoln and others had found 
carrots to increase ftie quantity of milk; and another 
gentleman had found them to produce as much butter 
from his cows in October as in summer. He had fed 
for two weeks on carrots; then for two weeks on ruta¬ 
bagas—he could see no difference in the results. His 
cows did not eat more than half as much fodder when 
supplied with 1 ^roots. On the other hand, Russell, of 
Pittsfield, had tried turneps three or four years, and 
he thought cattle eat more hay when they had roots 
than without them. He had tried carrots and held 
much the same opinion with regard to them. Porter, 
of Bradford, thought carrots good food for cows, but 
did not think they increased the measure of milk. S. 
Sprague thought that turneps do not fatten cattle. 
Another person fed turneps to two cows; one fattened, 
the other did not. 
How, what is the reason of these discrepant opin¬ 
ions? Simply the want of precision and accuracy. 
This is the great cause of all the diversity of opinion 
among farmers on agricultural subjects. The quantity 
of roots given is guessed at—the quantity of hay con¬ 
sumed is estimated as loosely—the measure of milk 
yielded is stated.merely to be increased—and one or 
two experiments perhaps, conducted in this unsatisfac¬ 
tory manner, are made to constitute the. ground-work 
of an opinion, which is ever afterwards held with much 
tenacity.- When shall''we see an accurate system of 
weighing and measuring, in the performance of exper¬ 
iments, in connexion with a close observation of all 
controlling causes; and a repetition of trial so often 
and so diversified as to remove all doubt as to the ope¬ 
ration of accidental influences ? 
High Prices for Grain. 
Messrs. Editors —The farming community seems 
very generally to cherish an exnectation that grain of 
all kinds will command high prices for a year or more 
to come ; and, consequently, that raising as much grain 
as possible this next summer will be the most profita¬ 
ble kind of farming. The most of those with whom I 
have conversed on this subject, seem to have been in¬ 
debted to an article in a recent number of the Hew- 
York Weekly Tribune for suggestions which have led 
them to plan the putting in of large crops of all kinds 
of grain this spring. The expectation of continued 
high prices seems to be based mainly upon these two 
facts: first, that in Europe immense numbers will be 
withdrawn from agricultural pursuits on account of the 
warlike condition of nearly every country there ; and, 
secondly, that in this country there will be a scarcity 
of help for farmers, and at the same time an increased 
demand for grain and other farm products on account 
of the jmmense number of hands employed, and to be 
employed, in building railroads. The advice of the 
Tribune, based upon these facts, is that their country 
friends should prepare for a great spring crop; that 
they should sow all the oats they can get into the 
ground in good order and in proper season; that they 
should then plant corn upon every acre they can spare 
and get ready for that crop; and that, later in the sea¬ 
son, they should sow as much buckwheat, turneps, and 
corn for fodder as possible, that they may be able to 
sell a large portion of all the grain produced. Spring 
wheat, beans, peas and potatoes will all secure good 
prices, and should, therefore, be raised this next sea¬ 
son as extensively as possible. 
These are wise and seasonable suggestions. We wish 
to make one more, having the same object in view. 
We have noticed a good many pieces and patches of 
winter wheat which look very yellow and sickly this 
spring. We are confident from what we have seen of 
the effects of sowing plaster on wheat in the spring, 
that these patches which look so pale and sickly, and 
which will yield but a very small crop, will be very 
generally restored to a good healthy green color by an 
early application of plaster. Even those fields or parts 
of fields which now look green and healthy would pro¬ 
bably take on a healthier growth from the application 
of a little plaster. But we have repeatedly observed 
that pieces of wheat which seemed almost winter- 
killed, which were very yellow and sickly looking in 
the spring, were soon restored to a healthy color and a 
rapid growth by the application of a bushel to half a 
bushel of gypsum to the acre. 
Now, if by sowing about this amount of plaster on 
fields or patches of fields of wheat which look sickly, 
and which, probably, would not yield as much as ten 
bushels to the acre, they can be revived and invigo¬ 
rated so as to be made to yield twenty or more bush¬ 
els, the farmer who applies it will obviously receive 
very ample compensation for his outlay, time and 
trouble. A few bushels of wheat at present prices 
would reward him bountifully. While, then, the farm¬ 
er gives all time and attention possible to spring crops, 
let him not neglect the wheat now in the ground. 
The plaster may be applied with the most advan¬ 
tage when .first we have warmth enough to cause 
wheat or grass to start a little. Observer. 
Rotting of Fence Posts. 
Messrs. Editors —A few days ago we witnessed 
on a neighboring farm a jrost and board fence, part of 
which was looping over badly in consequence of the 
rotting of some of the posts. Upon further examina¬ 
tion and conversation with our neighbor, we ascertain¬ 
ed that the part of the fence which threatened to fall 
was made by having the post placed butt end down¬ 
ward. Another part of the same fence was made by 
placing the top end in the ground, and none of these 
posts have rotted nearly as extensively as those which 
were set the other way. I mention the fact as an ad¬ 
ditional confirmation of an opinion which is becoming 
every year more general, that posts will last a third or 
a half'longer when set with the butt end upwards than 
when set the other way. 0. 
