Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1864-05-03
Agricultural.
Root Crops.
From the New England Farmer.

Root Crops.
The season is at hand when every judlciou .
husbandman begins to look over his plowed field.
for the purpose OF ascertanDg their adaptednee
10 different crops, with a desire to apprOpriat
to each such growth as will not only bring o
IemunerauIe return for tie labor invested, alu
leave the soil IN an improved condition, bot all,
all ct layornbly the gene ~ interests Of the farm
Az this season, wotd OF encouragement IN l..
gard to the cultivation Of roots will nos be 0Lt
Of place, and Ll1y awaken an lnterett in The su %
jsc. which will materially effect the aggrga't
number VI bushels 10 be harvested the cOmiI q
autumn
ia the spring Of 1855, Scion Robinson wro
an article for the New York Tribune, entitlc.
Pant one acre more, IN which he remind, o.
The farmer Of the high price OF breadstuHs, AZ
Of the imulutudes IN large cities who sufeft d
from the scarcity OF provisions, and urged Il
importance OF putting ~ as much gram as coulo
possibly 90 attended to. i was estimated thu
his simple request increased the CROPS Of Il
United 5 ates one miiion Of acres. At the pre-.
ent prices OF labor II may not be expedent a.
plant an acre more, but II - an important pOir
u ascertain how To plant tbs ground We have -
US 10 increase the value OF our crops.
la 1913, Daniel Webster asserted that Il f.,
cultivation Oi the turnlp viii III the last il,
years had revolutionIzed English Agriculture
IL bad uebed the number vi bullOcks and sheet
and he had no doubt 1t would pr duce slnii
result in TINS country. The opinion has be-,
EXPIRE sed in this paper, that by proper atteulio..
10 the cultivation OF roots the capacity OF Il
farms Vi New f. gland for keeping stock mu
ha M IA
ATTEMPTED to deny, the subject deserves more al
trntlOn than has been gwen to IT. That roo. T.
are a more valuable food Tor dairy stick no one
doubts who has made tr Of them A care
fu stuuy OF the tables OF experiments published
10 the" Agriculture Of NJ. slchu-etts, in 1855
viii be prohtatie to any who are sceptcal upo
this sui jtct. A bOrse that lie driven on the ron
will thrive better on five quarts Of meal az
three arts OF carrots than on eight quart o.
meal. E,ery fifty bushels OF CARROTS led IN thu.
way supplies the place or fifty bushels OF corn
and can be grown or bought ut one-iourth the
cost.
In the Agriculture OF Massachusetts " for
1858, (page 223 J the reader vail had u tabular
statement Of twenty crops OF carrots raised IN
Worcester County, aud entered Tor premium
from lS46 to 1883 inclusive, giving the name 4
each grower, number Of rod. pl inted by each
cost aud Weld |, apl ears that The average yiyld
was 2006 tous per acre. IL is not expected III {
every farmer viii secure premium crop, but
ordinary pa ns "Ili cure SIX hundred bushels
to the acre, and tins vii highly pay the cost Of
cultivation. Most people magnify TIT labor az
tending the cultivation Ot roots having had NJ
experience, except with the little garden bed
which was permitted 10 mat itsei over with
weeds before any fJrI was N ide to subdue then,
aud then alter one spasm0, ic tf0rt which IT
suited IN destroying more carrots than weeds,
it was gwen over. and weeds and vegetables
struggled hard for the championship. " A stitch
IN time saves hlne.
A neIphbor of mine has sold one hundred
bushels OF French turnips ut fifty GEMS per
bushel Tie past winter. Ii as been practically
demonstrated that, at ordinary prices Of labor
turLps can be raised at IRON twelve to fifteen
cents per bushel DR. Loriug, OF Salem. raises
1000 bushels of mangold wurlzel per acre, >>ud
at the present prices OF meal and scraps, it be
comes every iarmer who INDUCES IN the luxury
OF keeping swine TO inquire /: this root properly
cooked cannot be substituted, IN part, for more
expenslye TODD.
Ii has been objected that roots leave the soil
IN oau cOhu.uOn, out every one knows that no
croppclyerEes the soil more perfectly than roots )
and the heavy hay crops, which have been taken
from ground upon when carlos have been pre-
viOu,ly cultivated are sufficient evidence that
roots improve rather than impoyerish the soil
As 10 the effect OF these crops On the general in.
terests oi the iarm, 1t is only necessary to add
that any system oil husbandry that increases the
stock on the arln, is sure TO increase It's fertility
II the enIerprlslng farmers Of this section,
who are sell'ns butter II hlty cents per pound,
and are auxl0us 10 make much more than they
now do, would enter Into This matter With be-
the real with which the farm rs Of the Connect.
icut Valley are engaging IN the cultivation OF
tobacco, am OF the opinion they would reap
a u re satisfactory harvest, aud deserve higher
pace 10 the memory Of those Who are to come
alter. Yn1og
HopkmiOn, .4pr,i le64