Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1862-04-25

that it is well supplied with the various kinds
of fruit adapted to this soil and climate. II
should be done as matter Of pecuniary in
terest, whether you are preparing a perma
nent home or not. If you wish to dispose Of
your premises the purchaser will readily pay
you for the trees double what it will cost tC
put them out.
Discussion of Root Crops by the Dubuque
Farmers Club.
The subject of root crops was then discuss.
ed. Ii. s. Hetherlngton, Esq, read very
interesting paper on the practical utility Of
root crops, as fodder of which we give sy.
nopsis. He stated that the great question
was with most farmers, xviii raising root
crops pay?" To prove the affirmative he
would present the following facts and figures:
Without specializing or theorizing upon the
peculiar properties of the root of various kinds
or giving chemical analysis of the especial
value of each, as giving certain per cent. as
nutritive food, still it must be obvious to cv-
cry intelligent farmer, that for winter feeding
in this climate there should be some qualif-
cation or modification Of the dry fibrous hay
and straw, and the too condensed nutritive-
ness of the grain and seeds, which now con-
sttute almost entirely the winter food of farm
stock in the Northwest.
In other words healthy variety should
be fed, assimilating the animals winter food
as near as practicable to that provided in the
vegetable world during the summer months.
A proper selection of roots adapted to field
culture supplies all that is required in this
respect
The practicabilty of growing the roots is
not question involved in doubt, while it
must be admitted that some varieties sue
coed better than others. propose but four
varieties, all meritorious but in different de-
grecs arrange them in the order of their
excellence, as have to my satisfaction prov
ed them, (taking always cost of cultivation
into account as well as intrinsic value for
feeding after being producedD namely: Ruta
Baga Or Swedish turnip, mangel wurtzel, .sug-
ar beet and carrot.
Many, am aware, would place the last,
first, but must differ with such.
On new breaking, the ruta baga can be pro-
duced at very tritling cost, requiring for an
acre half pound of seed, worth usually fif-
ty cents. narrowing and gathering, and in
this way crop of four hundred bushels per
acre may be produced and stored in the eel
lar, at cost of not over eight dollars, or two
cents per bushel. But as every farmer has
not got new breaking, we must 60 into cal
culaton of the cost ofraising this root in drills
as they will on any other than new land re-
quire working to subdue the weeds:
Cost ofthoroushly blowing subsoiIing 90
Narrowing and Marking. ............:.:.... 60
Drilling by hand and covering. 200
Thinning out and hand wedding ................ 50
blowing between
Gathering and storing. 10 90
Total cost per acre.. S22 80 |
The above acre of ground should be mark
ed off in rows or drills for convenient culture
with horse, (where land i; not the main o.
ect,) q feet apart, and the plants should be
lhinned to eight or ten inches apart, which |
spacing admits OF 2O,907 plants to the acre.
A very moderate estimate would be three |
pounds per root, giving 65,74l pounds; or
at Sc pounds to the bushel would yield ,173
bushels. Deducting for contingencies 173
bushels leaves the crop even 1000 bushels,
the cost per bushel is just Die |
The mangel wurtzel never tried to grow !
upon new land, but have no doubt it would
succeed well if the breaking was done suRi.
GENTLY early, they requiring to be sown con-
earlier than the ruta baga.
The cost and manner Of growing the man
gel wurtzel in drills is precisely the same as
for ruta bagas, and think the produce would
even exceed it, and for milk cows think
them preferable to any other root known.
The sugar beet is an excellent root, but
from my experience though limited, it does
not yield near so well, while it requires very
much more labor to gather the crop, from the
fact that the entire root grows below the sur
face, and from another fact that it has a large
amount of tibrous roots, to which the soil adj !
heres, making washing before feeding indis-
which is not the case with either
the ru!a baga or mangel murtzel.
The carrot is certainly mcritorious root,
but when the uncertainty Of the crop and the
labors Of cultivation, and especially the dig
ying is taken into the account | think its
cal value as field crop has been overratcd.
have grown them to some extent for two
seasons past, and fed them as other roots,
and think them worth just as much but no
more than the other roots mentioned, while
from bad seed OF some ether cause, they grew
very sparsely, and the mere labor of digging
was more than all the labor of every kind in
Iaising the other roots.
Another objection to the carrot is that
IOEc ndit iaDOT III WccuiilH Is TcuulTtu, as
they have such a delicate top and grow so
slowly for the first two months that blowing
close to them is impossible without covering
he tops
Nevertheless rather than have no roots to
eed would raise carrots, but prefer the two
irst named for the reasons stated
Another popularity of the -uta baga, which
omitted to mention, and one which think
s much in its favor is this 1t will admit of
,elng frozen to the heart and not be injured,
,ut rather improved; this | would not state
lad not proved it true. In 1859 my crop
vas frozen first in the field in November, and
igain about midwinter in the cellar, vet none
If them rotted, and continued feeding them
until June.
For fattening purposes it is doubtful wheth-
r the root crops contain the necessary pro-
portions in sufficient abundance to Justify the
eeder in depending on them to prepare his
nimals for slaughtering, but mixed with the
more nutritive grain and meal, they will be
ound valuable accompaniment, while for
.orses of all ages, cattle, sheep and hogs not
wanted Immediately for the butcher, they az
ord healthy variety.
THE SUNrLowER.-Thc sunflower is des- |
ined to be one of our greatest agricultural
yet but few know its value |
AVE raised and tested it, and think no far
ner who has much land ShOuld flo without