136 
Richard Frotscher's Alma. ' Garden Manual I 
produce well, while on rich land the yield is enormous. Three bush¬ 
els of tubers are amply sufficient to plant an acre, the large ones be¬ 
ing cut into pieces with Ewo or three eyes, like potatoes. The land 
should be thoroughly ploughed, and from January to April they 
should be planted in furrows about three to four feet apart, dropping 
the tubers about eighteen inches apart, and covering with a plough. 
When they are well up, plough them as you would corn ;and when 
about a foot high, plough them again, throwing a furrow to each side, 
and you are done cultivating them forever. The first year they will 
yield a good crop (from five to eight hundred bushels), and will im- 
i prove for two or three years, if the soil is good, till they double the 
product of the first year. On piney woods land seven hundred bush¬ 
els to the acre is only a fair yield. On very rich land 1500 to 2000 bush¬ 
els, it is said, have been produced. In August the tops may be cut 
and cured for hay, which is quite equal to corn fodder, or may be fed 
green, soiled. The yield is large, and the tops are eagerly eaten by 
cattle, horses and mules. The tops, if cut, should betaken off about a 
foot from the ground. One cutting does not at all affect the yield of 
the tubers. In November the hogs should be turned in to harvest the 
tubers for themselves-, and may remain on them till March. In car¬ 
bonaceous matter—starch or its equivalent—they are but a trifle infe¬ 
rior to potatoes, as will be seen from the following table: 
In 1000 parts— 
Potatoes . 
Carrots . 
Parsnips. 
Flesh Formers. 
.6. 
..12 
Fat Formers. 
. 189 
. 66 
. 70 
Mangolds. 
2 
.102 
Sugar Beets. 
. 3. 
.136 
White Turnips. 
. 1 ■ . . - 
. 40 
Artichokes. 
.10 . 
.1SS 
Thus it will be seen that in 1000 parts potatoes contain 200 parts of 
nutriment, and artichokes 198 parts, while turnips contain only 41 
parts. Yet the turnip, above all roots, has made English agriculture 
progressive, because they may be fed on land without gathering. The 
artichoke is unaffected in the ground by any amount of cold, and, in¬ 
deed, should always remain there until gathered for use or planting. 
The enormous yield, the small amount of labor in cultivation, and 
the nutritious character of the tubers, make them the most econom¬ 
ical food for hogs that can possibly be grown. And the hogs, if suf¬ 
fered to root them, will be an advantage to them by breaking up and 
softening the soil as far down as pulverized. Sows with suckling 
pigs should not go on them, as the artichokes are said to injure the 
quality of the milk so as to cause suckling pigs to dwindle; but as 
soon as they are weaned the pigs will do finely by rooting for their 
living. These artichokes are also the healthiest food that hogs can 
have, and they need nothing else but salt, ashes and water when fed 
on them. 
Price per Qt. per Gall. per Bush. 
