The Yale expositor., 1899-02-17
TALK.
A Ride Through The Country
Gathering Facts About
Chicory Growing.
Port Huron, Mich, Jan. 90, 1899.

Had talk with John Eagan, who
read the paper on Chicory at the Far
mers' Institute, gave some facts as in
his paper, viz.:-IIad light sandy soil, 2
feet down to clay, black sandy soil and
heavy clay. Not over tons to the acre
on first. second and third better, about
| 10 tons but it was too hard to dig in the
clay. The crop followed in part, toma-
toes, onions and other garden truck.
1t will do to plant after any hoe crop,
as corn, potatoes. beans, etc, but 1T
would be no use trying to break a sod
iUr planting, the results would be dis
appointing, while the tops might show
" ell, the roots would be sprangly and
would not give the weight. The same
results would be given on swamp-muck,
coarser woody particles of the muck
would cause the same growth. The
soil must be fine before sowing the
seed. He said that $1,000 would pay
all expenses of preparing the soil,
planting, wedding thinning, digging
and hauling, all that one gets more
than this is clear profit. n neighbor
of his received $3.50 for the crop grown
| on one acre, leaving Sl20 clear profit.
lie raises beets on his heavy clay land,
gets 10 tons per acre, average IA tons,
received $3.50 per ton. lie would con-
tinue to raise Chicory on his sandy
loan soil, would plant Is inches apart
| instead of II inches and thin to six
! inches in the row. Would get larger
roots and just as many tons to the acre,
could cultivate better and have his
wedding done easier. He considered
the profit on Chicory just about the
same as on the beets. His place is in
Essexville and he gets his mail there.
The chicory should not be sown be-
fore the first of June. This gives
chance for the weed seed to start and
| be destroyed before the seed is put
| into the ground. The crop will bear
more abuse than beets in the fall. May
be dug late or during thaw i'll the
winter or as soon as the frost is out in
the spring, but if left until they grow,
can only get half price for them.
Andrew Secord on the McGraw farm,
South Bay City, raised 40 acres of beets
and half an acre of chicory on sandy
loan land, clay 10 inches below sur
| face. 81 like the crop because i do not
have to put so much labor on it as for
beets, bears more neglect in the fall.
| Have not dug mine yet. Shall dig as
soon as frost is out i'll the spring.
| Shall plant more next year"
n. III. Eddie, EsseXville, had 216
acres OH clay loan, not very rich.
! Had l51@ tons per acre. This was the
second years crop OH the same ground
and was better than last year. Then
he sowed too early, about the middle OF
May. June LIST is early enough, as the
plants make their growth after cool
weather comes in September. Mistake
number 2-"After digging l covered
with straw, and that allowed them to
dry out too much, thereby losing
weight"
j. b. Stevens, of Hampton, uses
about 200 pounds of Lake Erie Fish
| Phosphate per acre.
Sam Oliver had q of an acre and re-
ceived $4,000. Considers it good crop
to raise.
LII. Culver, Center road, has not
raised chicory, but knows it to be a
good crop. His place is better adapted
to beets, which he raises largely.
ID. Lalaman, Hampton, had one acre
of chicory on onion ground. Had l219
tons. Will raise more next year.
Mr.. Gould had eight acres, nine tons
to the acre. Not at home.
John Kingston, Hampton, five acres,
ten tons per acre. If all of the rows
had been full yield would have been
much larger. There were many va
cancies. lie would plant rows ten in
ches apart and seven inches in the row.
We visited the field and dug down,
found black sandy soil mixed with clay
about ten inches, then a hard, light
colored gravelly clay. Ground was
frozen so deep that we could not do
much digging.
20 pa1
GUM for the winter. Boys at home.
has for some years. Was the pioneer
in the work. Had ovens of his own
and slicing machine, brought from
Belgium. He had nine tons to the
acre last year. Uses dark sandy loan
soil with clay bottom. Has evidently
made money out of it.
Gilbert Salome, Hampton, had four
acres, average 91a tons, on ground after
potatoes. lie raises beets. too. Likes
chicory fully as well as beets. Was
very emphatic on that point.
AT the factory it was hard work to
see Mr.. Meyers, the proprietor, as so
many were in to sign contracts. One
man was there from State Road Cross
ing, 81 miles northwest of West Bay
City. He signed contract to raise A
acres while we were there. Others
gave way to let us talk a few moments.
The storm was so great that we
could not stand it to ride any farther,
and as soil and other conditions seem
ed to be about the same everywhere,
we thought it unnecessary.
To M. a. Root, of Bay City, who so
kindly consented to help us in our
work, we were very much indebted.
He says that a general summary of
costs and nrnfitS of chicnrv as conn