The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1870-05-24
agricultural department.
BY ALBERT CHAPMAN.
Raising Root Crops for stock.

The raising and judicious feeding of
roots in connection with hay, straw and
grain, or as preparatory to finishing off
with oi-mea or grain, is one of the most
necessary subjects for our farmers to
study, and in the practice Of which they
are most ignorant and deficient.
Root crops are generally more difficult
to raise, and require more care Tor their
successful cultivation than other crops
previously mentioned.
This is because they are more subject
to natural casualties, sooner affected by
disease, blight, and unlavorable seasons
than other crops, though with us it seldom
happens that the failure is total.
Root crops flourish better on land that
is neither too wet nor too dry; the roots
are rendered watery and hollow by too
much damp, and are equally susceptible
of injury by drouth.
In the cultivation of these crops one
important fact is to be noticed-that they
cannot gather their food from any portion
of the soil remote from the seat Of their
growth. In all of them the roots are
fewer in number and less developed than
in those of most other cultivated plants.
This will be very apparent to any one who
will compare the very short spongioles or
fbres on the bulb of turnip, Swede or
mangold, with the long on numerous roots
of Indian corn and other cereals, extend
ing, as they sometimes are found two or
three feet. For this reason we must sup
ply them with material for their growth
in form that will admit of its ready ap-
preparation.
1t is probable, too, that these crops,
sown as they generally are in drills eigh-
teen to twenty-four inches apart and ma
nured in the drills, do not by any means
so much exhaust the land generally as
those crops whose plants extend their in
terlacing roots through every square inch
of the soil.
The manure usually applied to root
crops with us is well-rotted farm-yard
manure and superphosphate The latter
substance is sometimes used alone, out in
this case the farm-yard manure must be
added previously, Or afterwards for the
benefit of succeeding crops
Superphosphate Of lime is particularly
adapted for promoting the growth OF
roots, especially Swedes and turnips, sup
plying early very essential ingredient
in their OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES acid.
They also require plenty of alkalies, in
the form of soda and potash. Hence, in
soils naturally deficient in these materials,
the addition Of common salt or sulphate
of soda may be expected to benefit this
crop. Mangolds particularly require a
large quantity OF alkaline matter, so that
the addition of common salt, with other
manures, applied to the mangold crop,
will in most cases, be found to increase
the produce of this most valuable root
Root crops are almost exclusively cul-
tivated for feeding cattle and sheep, and
generally supply the stock of the farm
during the winter when no green food is
to be had. We may therefore regard
this produce as portion of the raw ma
teria of mutton and beef; at the same
time it supplies material for the manu-
iacturc Of manure.
But in considering the question Of
raising and feeding roots. there are some
other suggestions touching the matter
besides merely the value Of the root itsel
as an article of food the expense of rails
ing, the facility Of growing, and the
amount of crop harvested, are very i'm
portant considerations.
If one plant yields thirty per cent
more than another of hesh-producing sub
stance or Of fat-producing substance, nj
trogenous or acknowledgements, and The
other produces fifty per cent. more thar
the first in quantity; or if it can be pro
duced at one-half the cost of the first; o.
if it is always sure crop, while the frs
is subject to various casualties Of season
insects, &c., and consequently uncertain
then it is manifest that the one richest il
flesh or fat-producing qualities shoul'
yield to the other. Probably principa
reason why more roots have not beel
grown in this country is that the ide
prevails that they are expensive. Their
certainly is nothing in our climate to fol-
bid it. Our Canadian neighbors, partiC
ularly in that large tract lying north c
Lake Ontario, grow them in great quar-
titles. We have seen fields of SwedC
and turnips there, of ten and fifteen acre
growing most luxuriantly and lookin
beautifully. We believe, too, that, as
general thing, the farmers Of the Unite
States have not duly considered the grei
feeding value Of roots, and they do nj
consider sufficiently the enormous amour
gathered from an acre, asproduced by a
these plants.
Mr.. William Brine, of Springfield
raised in 1859, on two acres and ha
of land, three thousand one hundred an
sixty-sx bushels, or ninety-hye tons,
mangold-wurzels. The cost of GROWN
and harvesting these was six and ha
cents per bushel when stored in the ce
lar, according to a strict and accurate Il
count kept Of labor fertilizers, &c. The
was twelve hundred ane sixty-six bushel
or thirty-eight tons to the acre, equ
certainly to nine and half tons Of ha
What crop is there that from an ac
will produce such an amount Of nutritio
auu valuable loOu WIN SO reahohaDlc
outlay?
DR.. George b. Loring, of Salem, Mas
raised on one and one-eighth Of an acre
land, eighteen hundred bushels or fort
eight tons OF the yellow globe mangol
at cost, by accurate account and c;
culation, of nine and one-half cents P
bushel. These, at the same rate OF calc
lation, would be equal to twelve tons of ha
DR.. Loring at the same time report
crop of Swedes Tor ruta-bagas) gro
on his farm the same season, 1862. L
variety was Skirving's King of
Swedes." The amount to each acre W
in tons, something over twenty-five,
seven hundred and fifty bushels to
acre and they were grown, as by an
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