Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1870-08-30
THE HERALD.
TuRN1ps, BETS AND CARROTS.
Nv HORACE GREELEY.

the agricultural industry Of England
and Scotland, while signally and be-
nificently increasing its annual pro-
duct, | Judge that time will prove
them mistaken. The striking diver
sity Of climate between the opposite
coasts of the Atlantic forbids the re-
alization of their hopes. The Brit
ish isles, with considerable portion
Of the adjacent coast Of continental
Europe, have q climate SO modified
by the Gulf Stream and tho ocean
that their summers are usually moist
and cool. their autumns still more
so, and their winters rarely so cold
as to freeze the earth considerably !;
while our summers are comparative
ly hot and dry our winters in part
intensely cold, so as TO freeze the
earth solid for foot or Moro
Hence, every variety of turnip is ex-
posed here, in its tenderer stages, to
tho ravages Of every devouring in
sect while the first Of December
often finds the soil Of all but our
Southern and Pacific States so frozen
that cannon wheels would hardly
track il, and the roots not previous
ly dug must remain in the earth for
weeks and often months. Hence,
the turnip can never grow SO luxu-
riantly, nor be counted on with such
certainty, here as in Great Britain
nor can animals be fed on it in win
ter, except at the heavy cost Of pull
ing or digging, cutting off tho tops
and carefully housing in autumn,
aud then slicing and feeding out in
winter. 1t is manifest that turnips
thus handled, however economically,
cannot compete with hay and corn
fodder in our Eastern and Middle
States, nor with these and the cheap
er species Of grain n the West, as the
daily winter food o. cattle
Still, hold that our stock-growing
farmers may, and ultimately will,
grow some tGrnips to be fed out to
their growing and working animals.
A good meal Of turnips given twice a
week, If not oftener, TO these, will
agrooabIy and usefully break the
mOnotony OF living exclusively on
dry fodder, and will give q relish "a
their hay or cut stalks and straw
which cannot fail 20 tell upon their
appetite, growth and thrift. Lot
our cattlc-brcedors begin with grow
ing an acre or two each Of Swedes
per annum, so as to give their stock
4 GOOD feed of them, sliced thin in an
effective machine, at least once in
each week, and | feel confident that
they will continue TO grow turnips,
and will grow more and moro of
them through our future years.
The beet seems TO me better adapt
ed TO our climate, especially south of
the iortieth degree of north latitude,
than any variety OF the turnip with
which ! am acquainted, and destined,
in the good time coming, when we
shall have at least doubled the aver
age depth Of our soil, to very exten-
slvo cultivation among us. am not
regarding either of these roots with
reference to its use as human food,
since our farmers generally UNDER
NLAhu biGL uNN AZ lth0b AS WGll Us i
do nor will hero consider at
length tho nsc Of the beet in the pro-
duction Of sugar value that use
highly, believing that millions of the
poorer classes throughout Europe
have been enabled to enjoy sugar
through its manufacture from the
beet who would rarely or never have
tasted that luxury in the absence Of
this manufacture. The people of
Europe thus made familiar with
sugar can hardly be fewor than 100,-
100000, and the number is annually
increasing. The cost of sugar to
these is considerably less in money,
while immcasureably less in labor,
than it would or could have been
had the tropical cane been still re-
garded as tho only plant available
for the production Of sugar.
But the West Indies, wherein the
cane hourishes luxuriantly and re-
news itself perennially, lie at our
doors. They look to us for meat and
their daily bread, and for many 9TH
or necessaries Of life while several,
ifnot all Of them, are manifcstly des-
tined, in the natural progress of
events, to invoke the protection of
our flag. ] do not, therefore, feel
confident that Beet Sugar now prom
iscs to become an important staple,
destined to take o high rank among
the products of our national indus
try. With cheap labor. | believe
IL might to-day be manufactured
with profit in tho rich, deep valleys
of California, and perhaps in those OF
Utah and Colorado as well. On the
whole, however | cannot deem the
prospect encouraging for the Amer
lean promoters OF the manufacture OF
beet sugar.
But when we shall have decpenod
essentially the soil of our arabic
acres, fortified it abundantlv. and
cured { by faithful cultivation OF it,
vicious addiction TO weed-growipr
believe wo shall devote millions Q
those acres TO tho growth of boet,
Tor cattle-tood, and, having loarne,
now to harvest as we'll rs till then
by machinery, with little help iron
hand labor, we shall produce then
with eminent profit and satisfaction
10 the grower Tn soil fully two
feet deep, thoroughly underdrane1
and amply fortified, / believe W,
shall often produce one thousand
bushels of beets to the acre and Sc
much acceptable and valuable FOO,
tor cattle can hardly be obtaine,
from an acre in any other form.
SO with regard to carrots. hay,
never met with eminent sncoess !,