\1 »y 1 II I «.N^ . -I . ,— — — CARROTS, Mangold Wurtzels AND SUGAR BEETS. HOW TO RAISE THEM, HOW TO KEEP THEM AND HOW TO FEED THEM. By JAMES J. H. GREGORY, AUTHOR OF "onion RAISING," "CABBAGE RAISING," &C. MARBLEHEAD, MASS : N.ALLEN LINDSEY & CO. 1877. CABBAGES : HOW TO RAISE THEM I^RICE 30 OTS., BY MAIL. SQUASHES : HOW TO GROW THEM Each of these treatises are amply illustrated, and give full particulars on every point including keeping and market- ing the crops. CARROTS Mangold Wurtzels SUGAR BEETS. HOW TO RAISE THEM, HOW TO KEEP THEM AND HOW TO FEED THEM. By JAMES J. H. GREGORY, AUTHOR OF "ONTON RAISING," "CABBAGE RAISING," &C. MARBLEHEAD, MASS : N. ALLEN LINDSEY & CO. 1877. Entered according to Act of Congress, m the year 1877, by JAMES J. H. GREGOKY, At the Clerk's Office of the District Court of Massachusetts. r •3 C^E^IE^OTS, THE ARGUMENT FOR THE R.\ISING OF ROOTS. The fact that the most progressive and successful farmers in the dairy districts, where the prices received for the pro- ducts of the dairy stimulates to the highest enterprise, are raisers of roots, (by which I now more especially refer to Carrots or Mangold Wurtzel) in about the same degree as they are pecuniarily successful, is in itself a great practical argument for root culture. In nutritious value roots compare with hay in about the average proportion of one to three. If now we consider that thirty-four tons of Swedes, nearly forty tons of Carrots and seventy-four tons of Mangold roots have been raised in Massachusetts, to the acre, and that to each of these crops should be added at least 1 5 per cent, for the fodder value of the yield of leaves, which were not included in these esti- mates, we have a demonstration of how immensely more is the nourishment that can be obtained from an acre of root j than from an acre in hay. Such an immense increase- in the nourishing products of the farm, if fed on the pre- mises as it should be, unless the farmer is so located that he can buy manure cheaper than he can make it, means a great increase in the manure products, and consequently a 4 CARROTS, MANGOLDS AND SUGAR BEETS. great increase in the crops, — so that it has been wisely said, root culture lies at the basis of good husbandry. Carrots and Mangolds are subject to but few diseases. In discussing the nutritious value, chemists differ somewhat,, according as they measure this by the nitrogen they contain,, their per cent, of dry matter or sugar, but they agree in ranking them much superior to the early varieties of turnip and somewhat superior to the Ruta Baga or Swede class, particularly when fed to full grown cattle. Prof. Johnson ranks Carrots with Cabbage when fed to oxen, for nourishment, and experiments appear to have proved that when equal measures of each are fed. Mangolds will give a greater increase of milk than potatoes, by about a third. For some reason not fully understood, (perhaps the depth they penetrate the soil has something to do with it ;) Onions will do better after Carrots than after any other crop, the yield being larger, the bulb handsomer, while the crop will bottom down eariier and better. Unlike Turnips or Swedes, with high manuring the crop can be profitably grown for years on the same piece of land. Swine prefer Mangolds to any root except the parsnip, and both in this country and in England store hogs, weighing from 125 lbs. and upwards have been carried through the winter in fine condition, when fed whol- ly on raw Sugar Beets or Mangolds. Chemists rank Carrots, when compared with oats, with reference to their fat and flesh forming qualities as i to 5. Not only have roots a value in themselves as food, but they have a special office, taking to a large degree the place of grass and preventing the constipation that dry feed some- times causes. While practice proves that they should not be relied upon to entirely supersede hay or grain, still they increase the value of either of these to a large degree ; and for slow working stock they may be fed with profit in place of from a third to half the grain usually given. Carrots add CARROTS, MANGOLDS AND SUGAR BEETS. 5 not only to the richness of the color, but also to the qual- ity of the milk, while the flavor of the butter made from such milk is improved. Carrots fed in moderate quantities to horses give additional gloss to their hairy coats, and have not only a medicinal value when given to such as have been over-grained, but aid them in digesting grain, as may be seen in the dung of horses fed on oats with Carrots, and that of those fed on oats without Carrots. ' When cooked they are sometimes fed to poultry, and either cooked or raw to swine. In the family economy they have their place, particularly when young and fresh, while in Europe they enter largely into the composition of the well-known vegetable soups of the French. THE CARROT. "The Carrot," (^Datccus Caroia) says Burr in his "Field and Garden Vegetables of America," a book worthy a place in every farmer's library, — "in its cultivated state is a half- hardy biennial. It is indigenous to some parts of Great Brit- ian, generally growing in chalky or sandy soil, and to some extent has become naturalized in this country ; being found in gravelly pastures and mowing fields, and occasionally by roadsides, in loose places, where the surface has been dis- turbed or removed. In its native state the root is small, slender and fibrous or woody, of no value, and even of questionable properties as an article of food." The average result of several analyses of the Carrot as given by Dr. Voelcker, is as follows : — Water, - - - - - - 87.0 Albuminous Compounds, - - - - .7 Fat, - - . - - - .2 Pectinc, - - - - - - 1.2 5 CARROTS; MANGOLDS, AND SUGAR BEETS. Cellular Fiber, - - - - - 3.5 Sugar, - - - - - - 6.5 Ash, - - - _ - _ .p, THE LOCATION AND SOIL. It is important in selecting a location for the Carrot bed that the land should be nearly level, as otherwise the seed will be liable to wash out after heavy showers, and the plants; while young be either washed out or covered with soil and killed. The land should be clear of all large rocks, and as far as possible of all stones up to the size of a hen's egg. The presence of large rocks 'in place,* as the geologists say, would interfere with the continuity of the rows, while the loose stones are not only always in the way while raking and plant- ing the bed, but are also in the way of the slide or wheel hoes which are apt to knock them against the young plants to their injury. It is important that the piece of ground select- ed for a crop that will require so much manure and labor should have every advantage possible in its favor ; it should not only be level and comparatively free from stones, but if possible should have been previously under high cultivation, that it may come to Carrots when in high condition. The best soil, particularly for the Long Orange variety,, is a loam mellow to the depth of two feet or more. On such soil the Carrot will perfect itself, growing straight and alto- gether beautiful to look upon, as they stretch from side to side of the bushel boxes. On some market gardens near critical markets, farmers find it for their interest to ascertain by actual experiment on what part of their grounds the root will grow longest and straightest, and when such plot is found make it a permanent bed. If the soil does not naturally grow a long carrot and they are desired, the end may be at- tained by trenching deep and adding sand. The difference CARROTS, MANGOLDS AND SUGAR BEETS. / in the shape of the Long Orange, when grown on a deep mellow loam, and on a heavy soil with a compact sub-soil, is so remarkable that it would be almost impossible to make an inexperienced person believe each lot was from the same seed, — those grown on the heavy soil, resting on a com- pact sub-soil, oftentimes so closely resembhng the Inter- mediate varieties as not to be distinguished from them. Though the course is not on the whole to be advised, yet Carrots can be raised on freshly turned sod. Such land will be very free from weeds, and by making good use of the wheel harrow, and applying manure in a very fine state, should the season be a moist one, fair crops may be raised. Reclaimed meadows in a good state of cultivation, which are well-drained to the depth of thirty inches, will oftentimes grow crops, large in bulk, but the individual roots are often- times inclined to ''sprangle,'* and unless such meadows have been well drained, and liberally covered with sand or gravelly loam, they are apt to be spongy and inferior. When grown on land inclining to clay, they are apt to be small and woody in structure ; still, such land, if made friable by good underdraining and the application of sand may be made fair carrot ground. THE MANURE AND ITS APPLICATION. All root crops delight in most liberal manuring and the highest of cultivation. Carrots are no exception to this rule. With every crop, other conditions being equal, // is the last half of the mamire gives the profits; and the more costly the cultivation required the more important it is that this golden fact be borne in mind. Though chemical analysis shows dif- ference in the composition of all roots, and that there is therefore an office for special manures, yet their general composition is so nearly alike, and animal manures, most of 8 ' CARROTS, MANGOLDS AND SUGAR EEETS. which contain in greater or less proportion, all the elements required, are so difficult to handle in just the proportions that would be required from the chemical standpoint, particularly when we consider that soils on which root crops are grown are usually rich in manures, varying in their chemical constit- uents, left over from former crops ; — for this reason I treat of manure by the cord and with reference to its comparative strength, bulk for bulk, rather than of its chemical elements. Eight cords of good stable manure, nine cords of a com- post made of one part night soil to two parts muck or loam ; twelve cords of a compost made of one-third fish waste, by w^hich I mean the heads and back-bones of the fisheries, and two-thirds soil ; eight cords of muscle mud ; six or eight cords of rotten kelp — either of these appKed to an acre of land in good condition by previous high cultivation would be sufficient tor a good crop of carrots. Other manures might be mentioned, but these will serve as a pretty good measure of value for any kind accessible to farmers in gener- al. To produce a very large crop such as one would like to be able to point to when premium crops are called for, add from one quarter to one-half to the above quantities. The condi- tion of the manure is a matter of importance ; the stable ma- nure should be good ; not half bedding, not burnt, neither too coarse nor too new ; the night soil should have been well mixed with the soil in the compost heap, and have been pitched over twice with sufficient intervals between to allow it to devel- op some heat. The fish waste should be well decomposed, so well that all but the bones should have disappeared, and if these be very dark and brittle so much the better. The mus- cle mud should be rich in dead muscles. In all farming it is important that the manures appHed should be in a fine con- dition mechanically, and particularly is this true of root crops. For the roots of all plants can take up only such parts of the CARROTS, MANGOLDS AND SUGAR BEETS. 9 manure as are dissolved in water, and the finer the manure h the more readily can water penetrate it. A man who is unfoj^tunaiely shori of 7nanures can 77iate~ rially increase the capacity of what he has by working it over until it is very fine. When short of a supply of animal manure, guano and good phosphates, where the soil is already in good condition can be used with success, provided the season does not prove to be too dry a one. From eight hundred to a thousand pounds of Peruvian guano and from ten to fifteen hundred pounds of the best phosphates should be used. The fa- mous fertilizer formulas of Prof. Stockbridge have generally done so well I should be willing to try them on an acre of Carrots, were I short of other manures. There is another matter concerning our manures which requires attention ; if they are too fresh or crude they will be apt, if applied to our long growing varieties, to drive the growth too much into the top of the Carrot, to the loss of the root, giving us tops to our knees with roots about the size of a hoe handle. It is important therefore, when used liber- ally, that they should be somewhat decomposed — that the mixtures should be composts, as far as the time will allow, and not mere mixtures. To the shorter varieties the crude ma- nure may be applied with a degree of safety. Here let me note a fact that I think is of general appHcation in farming, viz. : — that a style of manuring that will drive tall growing varieties of vegetable nearly all to tops or vine, with dwarf varieties of the same kind will work admirably. The Pea is a very good illustration ; to get a good crop of Dwarf Tom Thumb, manure liberally, but the same quantity applied to the taller sorts would drive them excessively into vine at the expense of the crop. Don't make your compost heap on the ground where the crop is to grow, for the result will be no crop where the lO CARROTS, MANGOLDS AND SUGAR BEETS. heap stands. For the same reason it is bad policy to cart out any strong manure to stand on the land in heaps, no matter how small, over winter. There will be nothing lost by spread- ing the manure over the surface before the ground is frozen. In getting it into the soil, keep ii as near the smj'ace as possi- ble without its interfering with the planting of the seed, bear- ing in mind the nitrogen, that element in manures, about the loss of which by evaporation there is much uncalled for anxi- ety tends to work down into the soil. If the manure is coarse it may be applied to the surface in the Fall and be deeply ploughed in, and in the Spring again brought to the sur- face by ploughing equally deep, having meanwhile received the benefits of frost and moisture. In applying guano or the phosphates, keep them near the surface, scattering them broadcast and raking or harrow- ing in. It is best not to apply either of these all at once, — particularly is this true of guano. Apply about half at the time of sowing, and the remainder when the crop is about one-third grown — following it with the shde hoe, which will tend to work it in just under the surface. In applying guano and all similar fine manures in the Spring time, it is well to do so early in the day, as winds are apt to rise as the day ad- vances, which seriously interfere with the economical appli- cation and even distribution. Both phosphates and guano tend to hasten the maturity of the crops to which they are appHed. There is one condition that has a very important bearing on the cost of Carrots and all .roots, viz. : — that both the ground and manure should be as free from all weed seed as possible. For this reason ground recently from the sod, the third year, provided it has been kept under a high state of cultivation, and such manures which from their very nature must be comparatively free from the seed of weeds,, such as fish composts, night soil, or barn manure a year old, are to be Dreferred. CARROTS, MANGOLDS AND SUGAR BEETS. It Dr. Voelcker gives the result of lo analyses of the ashes of the root and 2 of the ashes of the leaves of the Carrot, and from these deduces the following as the num- ber of pounds of mineral matter taken from an acre of land,, by 10 tons of roots and 4 tons of tops. Potash, Soda, Lime, Phosphoric Acid, 116 lbs 86 lbs. loi lbs. 31 lbs. Sulphuric Acid, Chlorine, 34 lbs. 31 lbs. To those who desire to experiment with mineral manures- this table will be interesting as showing the kinds and propor- tion of each needed. The potash is found in unleeched ashes, at the rate of 4 or 5 pounds to the bushel ; or in the German Potash salts ; the soda and chlorine in common salt, (chlo- ride of sodium) ; lime in the common lime of the mason,, the Phosphoric acid in the phosphates offered in the markets,, and the Sulphuric acid in that directly or in common finely ground plaster, known by chemists as Sulphate of Lime. I shall have occasion to present some very valuable sug- gestions of the learned Professor, under the head of "The- Manure" in my article on Mangolds, to which they more es- pecially apply. The greatest single item in the cost of any crop is-, the manure, but this is an exceedingly varying element. Farmers near cities, and particularly if they also reside near the sea-coast, as an off-set for the greater cost of farm- ing-land and expenses of living, have the advantages of a city market and special facilities for collecting manures, at a cost: to them, much below the standard value of stable manure. Night soil to almost an unlimited extent, can be obtained for the cost of collecting it, while the waste material of the fish- eries, Kelp, Rock Weed, Muscle Mud, Glue Waste, Sugar House Waste, and the products of the distilleries, these and 12 CARROTS, MANGOLDS AND SUGAR BEETS. Other rich fertilizers can be procured at so low a figure, in proportion to their value, that root crops can be raised con- siderably cheaper than in farming districts not so favored. Many a man can be found in these favored districts who thinks he is making a good business at farming, yet could he but sell the manure he gathers so cheaply, at its market value, barn manure being the standard, he would make money by doing so and folding his arms the rest of the year. The fact is he is really losing money at farming ; but through his crops he is selHng what cost him but a trifle, at a price, indeed, below its real value, but still so far in advance of cost as to leave a profit. Such a man does wisely in the course he pursues though he makes a mistake in the debtor and cred- itor side of the account, for it is most decidedly wiser to be at work than idle, though the result makes no difference in the dollars in a man's pocket. PREPARING THE BED. The great object here should be to get the soil thorough- ly fine that the small, thread-like fibers, and the roots them- selves, may waste the least possible vital power in permeating the earth in search of food, or in pushing downwards. The vitality wasted in this way is just so much taken from growth, and may make the sole difference between a good crop and a poor one« If it is necessary that the first ploughing should be a very deep one, better apply the manure, (as previously stated, the finer mechanical condition this is in the better) afterwards. Should the manure be to any degree coarse after spreading, run the brush or wheel harrow over it, one or both. This will also break up the clods and fine up the soil and incorporate the manure with it. If still at all lumpy, fol- low with a plank drag. Next plow shallow a few furrows, and -have men, with wooden-toothed hand rakes, rake at right an- CARROTS, MANGOLDS AND SUGAR BEETS. 1 3; gles, pulling all coarse stones and lumps of earth and manure into the last furrow made. In brief, proceed to make as fine a seed bed as for onions. If any one, depending on the apparent fineness of the surface, concludes to dispense with the final raking and let the work of the brush harrow answer, he will be apt to re- pent it before the season closes ; should he try it let him be sure to double the quantity of seed planted in that portion of the land so treated. If the bed has its first ploughing early in the season, much of the weed seed will germinate before planting time and an occasional use of the cultivator will destroy many of the pests. WHEN TO PLANT. Some of our best farmers advocate planting about the middle of May, others equally successful in root culture claim that the middle of June is the best time. There are arguments for both early and late planting. In New Eng- land we usually have the weather sufficiently moist towards the close of May to insure the germination of the seed and protect the plants when they break ground, from "sun-scald." Those planted as late as the middle of June are more liable to be so affected by the dry weather usual at that period as not to vegetate as well ; and should the heat be very great just after they push through the ground, sometimes in a sin- gle day nearly the entire crop will disappear by "sun-scald." But on the other hand, by planting late we about get rid of one weeding, assuming that the ground is stirred by the cul- tivator occasionally, up to the time of planting. Again, this brings the crop in full vigor in October, the month of all others most favorable for the growth of the root, and the Carrots being dug while the tops are in fair growing condi- tion, keep better than when dug fully ripe. The argument. :I4 CARROTS, MANGOLDS AND SUGAR BEETS. for late planting holds especially good for the Short Horn va- rieties, as these require a shorter time to mature than the long kinds. If the crop is planted too early, sometimes the roots having matured, will attempt to push seed shoots ; when this is so they will be found woody in their structure, with num- berless thread-like roots v/hile their quality and keeping pro- perties are greatly injured. This crop on rich land is some- limes planted as late as the first week in July, and with great .success, should the Fall prove exceptionably mild, yet, as a rule, I would not recommend planting later than the mid- dle of June. If it so happens, from press of work, or the dry weather, the farmer has to plant later than this, then by all means let him confine himself to the earlier varieties. THE SEED AND THE PLANTING OF IT. To grow seed, medium-sized roots should be selected^ that are well-grown, straight and symmetrical, of a rich, dark orange color, with a small, compact top. Plant in rows three and a half feet apart and fifteen inches in the row, the crowns being on a level with the surface. If the roots are long they may be laid slanting in the furrows. The best seed will be from the two first cuttings, which will come from the center of the main stock and of each side shoot. The seed grows with a covering of small, short, stiff hairs, which makes them adhere together ; these must be very thor- 'Oughly removed before the seed can be rehed upon to flow freely from the machine. Much of foreign grown seed reache ; this country not properly cleaned. To remove this furze, •either thrash the seed with the flail very thoroughly, when th3 weather is quite cold and dry, or warm the seed slightly and rub it with the hand against the wires of a sieve, of a right degree of fineness to let the hairs fall through. Either win- now, or sink in water, to remove all impurities. If sunk, be CARROTS, MANGOLDS AND SUGAR BEETS. 1 5 careful to dry the seed at a very moderate temperature ; rub- bing with plaster, charcoal or earth dust will absorb what mois- ture may remain when nearly dry. As Carrot seed vegetates somewhat slowly and the plants are quite small when they first appear, weeds are apt to get the start of them before the rows can be seen with sufficient distinctness to make it safe to use the sUde hoe. For this reason many farmers practice soaking the seed in water and keeping it at a temperature that will nearly develop the sprout, before planting. This may be done by soaking the seed from ^6 to 48 hours in milk warm, rather strong manure water, then removing it to where the air is of about the same temperature. Stir it slight- ly for a few days, and finally dry it sufficiently to drop freely from the machine by adding plaster, charcoal or dust. Cam- phor has a wonderful effect in stimulating the vitality of seed, and the addition of a small quantity of it to the manure water would doubtless be of advantage. This process should not be carried so far as to develop the sprout. Should the surface of the ground be very dry when the seed is sown, this soaking process may be fatal, for if the germ is once started it will not live in a dormant state ; it must either grow or die : whereas, seed that have not been soaked will vegetate after rains wet the dry surface. Be sure that the seed planter has a good roller attached to it, and not a mere coverer, as this will help confine the moisture and thus materially aid in developing the seed. QUANTITY TO THE ACRE. Tables vary greatly, some advising as high as four pounds to the acre. If the design is to raise small-sized roots for early marketing, possibly this might not be an excess of seed, but to advise so heavy seeding for ordinary field crops, means that much of the seed is poor trash, probably old and worth- less, and put in as a make-weight. 1 6 CARROTS, MANGOLDS AND SUGAR BEETS. Some years ago a party wrote me, ofTfering a variety of garden seed at a very low figure, and stated that it was of his own raising. As it was a kind that I was in the habit of rais- ing, I had the curiosity to write and ask how he could afford to raise it at such a price. He replied that it was of his own growing, but so old as to be good for nothing, and therefore he sold it to seedsmen at a very low figure, to mix with their good seed to help make weight! When four pounds of Carrot seed are advised to the acre, for a field crop, I think that some of this kind of seed must somehow have got into the mixture. With everything favoring, and the farmer by experience having his seed sower under perfect control, rather less than a pound of seed will be sufficient for an acre. The great object to aim at is, while having the plants thick enough, not to have much of any thinning to do, as it costs about as much to thin a crop as it does to weed it, with the drawback that the plants left in the ground are more or less started, and so put back by the thinning. As a general rule I would advise one and one-half pounds of seed to the acre, and this the farmer can reduce in proportion as he is favored by circumstances and advances in experience. Twelve inches is a sufficient distance between the rows of the two small, early varieties, and fifteen between the rows of all other sorts. With the greatest of care the seed will not come up with mathematical precision. Some advacate leaving a plant to about every inch of row ; others, to thin to four inches apart. Carrots are somewhat like Onions in their aptitude to grow to a good size when crowded, pushing out either side of the rows, and at times crops will give great bulk when the plants are nearer each other than four inches, still, as a rule I advise thinning to near this distance, leaving them thicker near vacant places. CARROTS, MANGOLDS AND SUGAR BEETS. 1 7 VARIETIES, AND WHAT KINDS TO GROW. Foreign catalogues give lists of about two dozen varie- ties, which differ in earliness, size, color, form, termination of root, characteristic of growing entirely under or partly above ground, and in the size of the core or heart. In foreign cat- alogues, what we call "Orange," are known as "Red" Car- rots. From a test of these varieties I have thus far found nothing worthy of being added to the kinds already grown to a greater or less extent in the United States. The yellow- fleshed sorts are repudiated in New England by general con- sent ; yet the Yellow Belgian, on a limited trial has proved with me, to be an exceptionably good keeper. The Purple or Blood-Red is of a deep purple color, a poor cropper and by no means attractive to the eye. The remaining varieties may be classed as follows :• — Early, middling early and late. The first class is made up of the Early Very Short Scarlet^ and the Early Scarlet Horn. The second class, of all the half-long or short horn varieties, and the third, of the long varieties, such as Long Orange, Belgian and Altringham sorts. In addition to about one-half of these foreign varieties, cultivated more or less generally in this country, there are several kinds catalogued by seedsmen, all of which are but improved strains made by careful selections, through a series of years, from what was originally imported stock. These strains usually bear the name of some person. A brief dis- cussion of the more valuable varieties will now be in order. Here I will lay down three general facts, viz. : — ist, that of the various orange colored varieties, the shorter growing kinds are, as a rule, the darker colored and sweeter flavored. 2d, that the proportion of dark, orange-colored roots in any crop, while it will depend largely on the care that has been used in the selection of seed stock for a series of years, does 18 CARROTS, MANGOLDS AND SUGAR BEETS. not turn wholly on this, but soil, season or manure, one or all have some influence in this direction. 3d, that the fact that more or less of the Carrots tend to push seed shoots the first year, while with the long varieties it may prove that the seed has been allowed to mix with the wild varieties, yet the prob- abihty, (marked cases excepted,) is decidedly the other way ; while with the short horn varieties this tendency to push seed shoots the first season, so as to make something of a show when an acre is glanced over, is quite a common characteristic with seed of the very purest strain. EARLY VERY SHORT SCARLET. EARLY SHORT SCARLET. SHORT HORN. LONG ORANGE. CARROTS, MANGOLDS AND SUGAR BEETS. 1 9 Early Very Short Scarlet, (see engraving.) Early Short Scarlet Horn, (see engraving.) These two varieties are the shortest grown and are raised at times in forcing beds, for an early market, the former very gener- ally so. They are of a very rich orange color, fine-grained, sweet, and of excellent flavor, heading the list for quality. Their rich color makes them valuable above all other kinds for coloring butter. Though quite short, yet the Early Short Scarlet Horn can be grown to yield a great bulk ot roots, from the fact that from the smallness of their tops the roots can be grown very thick, two or three abreast all along the rows. When the small, handy size of this variety is considered in connection with the superior quality, it stands foremost as a table Carrot, and I therefore recommend it in preference to all others for family use. Short Horn. (See engraving.) This variety, interme- diate between the Early Forcing and Long Orange, with but slight variations in form, is shown under various names, as Intermediate, Nantes, Half Long, James' Improved, Stump- Rooted, &c. It is characterized by a darker color than the average of the Long Orange, finer grain, and a sweeter and richer flavor. In part from the more solid structure of the Carrot, and in part from its better stowage, thirty-six meas- ured bushels of this variety make a ton, while of the larger varieties forty bushels are required. The best strain of this variety is doubtless the kind known as the "Danvers" Carrot. DanYers Carrot. In the town of Danvers, Mass., the raising of Carrots on an extensive scale, has for years been quite a business — the farmers finding a large market in the neighboring cities of Salem, Lynn and Boston. After years of experimenting they settled upon a variety which orig- inated among them (as did the Danvers Onion) known in theii locality as the "Danvers Carrot." It is in lorm about 20 CARROTS, MANGOLDS AND SUGAR BEETS. midway between the Long Orange and Short Horn class^ growing very generally with a stump root. The great problem in Carrot growing is to get the greatest bulk with the smallest length of root, and this is what the Danvers growers have attained in their Carrot. Under their cultivation they raise from twenty to forty tons to the acre. This Carrot is of a rich, dark orange in color, very smooth and handsome, and from its length, is easier to dig than the Long Orange. It is a first-class Carrot for any soil. Long Orange, or Long Surry, This is a standard variety, and in its various strains is doubtless more generally grown than any other kind. The chief objection to it is the depth to which it penetrates the ground, and hence the extra ^^^ d^^ DANVERS CARROT ALTRINGHAM. IMPROVED LONG ORANGE CARROTS, MANGOLDS AND SUGAR BEETS. work of digging it ; while the end of the root which causes the extra work is of inferior quaUty when compared with ^he body, differing in this respect from the shorter varieties, which are of the same quality throughout. The heart is larger in proportion than in the shorter vari- eties, which is considered an objec- tion. The keeping properties are excellent, and in this respect it is superior to the earlier kinds. On light soil the roots grow long, straight and make a fine show in the market. Altringham. This is a Carrot of excellent quality for the table, the flesh being of a rich orange color, crisp and sweet, but as a cropper it is inferior to the Intermediate or Long Orange varieties, and hence is but little cultivated. Large White Belgian. This is the largest of all varieties and will yield at least a quarter more than any other sort. The roots grow sev- eral inches out of ground, and all can be readily pulled by the hand. Analysis shows that it is nearly as sweet as the Mangold Wurtzel, rather sweeter than the Swede Turnip, and about two thirds as sweet as the Su- gar Beet. The two objections to it ILARGE WHITE BELGIAN are its color and its keeping -proper- ties ; it being rather a poor keeper, while the color has made it a carrot for horses rather than cows. ^ If farmers have but a small quantity of manure, the White Belgian is ;a good variety for them to raise for feeding early in the winter. 22 CARROTS, MANGOLDS AND SUGAR BEETS. THE CULTIVATION, AND THE IMPLEMENTS NEEDED. Just as soon as the young plants can be detected break- ing ground, the prudent farmer will push the slide hoe, and have his boy weeders follow immediately after it on hands and knees. Boys that have had a Httle experience, with their nimble fingers can do more work than men, while their wages are only about half as much. On the sea-coast we hire boys who make a business of weeding, for from seventy-five cents to a dollar a day. The one great danger in hiring boys, is that careless ones are apt to break off the weeds instead of pull- ing them up by the roots. To ascertain their comparative faithfulness, it is well to quietly mark a few rows of the diff- erent weeders, at their first weeding, and by the time for the second weeding the difference between a good and a bad boy will be very plainly visible. Don't accept that theory of the shiftless man, that it is well to have the weeds grow pretty tall before the first weed- ing, that the plants may be protected from the sun. I have noticed that oftentimes those who act on this theory give over their weeding, and plough up the bed before they have half finished it. Promptness in the first hoeing and weed- ing is exceedingly important in the management of all root crops, and it is where the great mistake is apt to be made in their cultivation. There are a few implements that are specially needed in the cultiva- tion of root crops, and of these every wise farmer will get the SLIDE HOE. CARROTS, MANGOLDS AND SUGAR BEETS. 23 very best attainable. These implements are the Seed Sower, the Hand Weeder, the Slide Hoe, the common Wheel Hoe, and one for weeding both sides of a row at the same time. Of these there are a great many varieties, each of which are more or less popular among a class of growers. The engravings illustrate such as are in use in my own section of country, where root culture forms a very important part of the agri- culture of farmers. Both the slide and the wheel hoe, for rapid work, far surpass the common hand hoe, while they cut up the weeds equally clear. The wheel hoe is used until the tops of the crops become so large as to be in the way, wheel lice when the slide hoe takes its place. Each inches narrower than the space between slide hoe is an amazing handy implement about a farm for many uses other than between the rows of root crops. A new class of inplements lave been introduced within a few years which, to a degree, supersede the use of the common wheel or slide hoe, f.iough there is yet a valuable sphere for each of them ; I refer to the weedcrs which cut each side of the GOODWIN'S WHEEL HOE. row at the same time I have tested everyvariety of these and have thus far found none dp such good, practical w^ork as the homeliest look- ing one of them all, viz. : the Goodwin wheel hoe. These should be two the rows. A 24 CARROTS, MANGOLDS AND SUGAR BEETS. hoes which take each side of the row at once cannot safely be made to go over the ground as fast as those designed for use between the rows, but working close home to the grow- ing crop, they save a large portion of the cost of hard weed- ing. Of seed drills there are a dozen or more in the market, several of which I have used on my f^rms. I prefer Matthew's over all others. Among other advantages it can be relied upon to Matthews seed sower. drop almost any variety of small seed, while it is a good cov- .erer, and havi-ng a roller attached, it packs the earth over the seed, which, as every farmer knows, tends to keep the moisture in and thus NOYES' WEEDER hastcus their germi- nation. The hand weeder is an excellent little implement to facilitate the laborious work of weeding, especially when the surface is baked and therefore rather hard on the fingers. GATHERING AND STORING THE CROP. One of the greatest outlays attending the raising of Car- rots is in the gathering and topping of the crop. The com- mon process of digging with a fork and throwing into piles to be afterwards topped is laborious and costly. The labor and consequent cost may be greatly lessened by first cutting off the tops by a sharp shovel, spade or common hoe, or a slide hoe which has been weighted by a piece of lead pipe, or some similar heavy article, slid down the handle and fastened where that unites with the hoe. Should a slice be taken off CARROTS, MANGOLDS AXD SUGAR BEETS. 25 the tops of the roots it will do no harm, as Carrots differ in this respect from other roots, in that, when the tops are cut they are not apt to rot ; indeed, some practice cutting off a shoe of the root when topping, to keep them from sprout- ing so readily when stored. Let the crop remain out as late as it can be risked with- out freezing; and it they are in good growing condition this will be well towards November, in the latitude of cen- tral New j^ England, and even into the first week of that month in the milder temperature of the sea-coast. Roots not fully matured will keep better than those fully ripe when dug, on the principle that the varieties of apples we call "win- ter" apples are simply those kinds that do not ripen on the tree, — they are not winter apples^ because they are Baldwins, or Greenings, for these same kinds in the South where the ripening season is longer, are Fall apples. If the carrots have been planted too early they will ripen before digging and be apt to prove poor keepers, besides losing the advantage of October weather which is the carrot month, doing more for the weight of the late planted crop than all the season be- sides. Rake the tops off the bed but do not waste them for they are highly relished by animals, and if the carrots are harvested when they ought to be, to keep well, that is, when in good growing condition, there will be a great weight of tops, sometimes as high as a quarter of the weight of roots ; and this mass of green fodder, coming at a time when the fields are usually bare of grasses, will prove very valuable and acceptable food for the cows. The common way of gather- ing the crop, by loosening with spades or forks and then pulHng out by the tops, throwing into heaps or scattering over the ground and afterwards topping with a knife, is a long and costly job. An improvement on digging is to run a plough close to the row and then pull out as many as pos- 2 6 CARROTS, MANGOLDS AND SUGAR BEETS. sible by hand and dig up the remainder. Still a better course particularly when the Danvers variety is grown, is, beginning in the middle of the piece, to run a subsoil plough close home to the roots, when, if run sufficiently deep it will lift the carrots a little out of the ground. Follow with forks or hoes, and draw the roots inward on the ploughed portion, so far as to give room for the horse to walk. Let the roots re- main a few hours scattered over the surface, when in picking up and tossing them into carts or baskets, any earth adhering will be jarred off. In storing, one fact must be borne in mind ; that carrots will heat, sprout and rot, under circum- stances in which Mangolds would keep sound and uninjured. I have several times lost quantities when buried in the ground where Mangolds and common table Beets, under precisely the same conditions, have kept perfectly sound. If the crop is to be fed at once, they may be dumped into the cellar or bam floor in the most expeditious way without reference to the depth of the heap ; but if to be fed into the winter, then aU depth of the heap above two and a half to three feet means a proportionate increase of danger of heating, sprout- ing and rotting, and so much greater care to air the cellar in cool, dry weather. I need hardly state that cellars for keep- ing carrots and all roots should be free from standing water, and as cool as possible without actually freezing. If the bottom is damp, then put down a rough flooring. When the roots are large they will keep sufficiently better to pay for the extra trouble, if they are piled ''heads and points" to the height of two and a half feet, with a slight space for air be- tween the piles. If there are not cellar conveniences for storing the entire crop, with a good protection of hay under and around them, a few tons may be stored, for early feeding, in the barn, provided it is a warm one. CARROTS, MANGOLDS AND SUGAR BEETS. 2/ RAISING CARROTS WITH ONIONS. I transfer from my Treatise on Onions, a paragraph rel- ative to growing carrots with onions. The plan of raising carrots with onions is considered a great improvement by many who have adopted it, as the yield of carrots is thought to be clear gain, diminishing but little or none the yield of onions. Carrots are planted in two ways ; one by sowing them in drills between every other row of onions, and the other, which is considered an improvement, called the Long Island plan, by planting the onions in hills from seven to eight inches from center to center, dropping a number of seed in each hill, and from the first to the twelfth of June planting the carrot seed, usually by hand, between these hills in two rows, then skipping one, and thus on through the piece. The onions, as they are pulled are thrown into every third row, the carrots being left to mature. By this method from 'two to six hundred bushels of carrots are raised per acre in addition to the usual crop of onions. More manure is required lor the two crops than for the onions alone. The machine used for sowing in drills has two boxes at- tached to the axle at equi-distance from the wheels ; there are three or four holes in the axle that communicate with the seed in the boxes, and as these holes pass under the boxes they are filled with seed, and as they turn the seed are drop- ped into the earth. Screws are sunk into the holes, which can be sunk more or less at pleasure, and the quantity of seed which the holes will contain is thus graded. The machine should first be tested and so regulated that on a barn floor it will drop from eleven to twelve seed from each hole. When so regulated, on using in the field it will drop but from seven to twelve, owiwg to the more uneven mo- tion. 2 8 CARROTS, MANGOLDS AND SUGAR BEETS. MARKETING AND FEEDING. In the cities there is a large, market for carrots as feed for horses, it being very generally, accepted that a few given daily or every other day, aids the digestion of grain-fed ani- mals, adds to the gloss of the hair, and are of special medic- inal value. The largest, smoothest and darkest orange col- ored roots sell the best in the market. The price varies all the way from ten to twenty dollars a ton of 2000 pounds, de- pending in part on the value of hay. Where the quantity fed daily is small a large knife or a shovel will answer to cut them up in pieces of suitable size ; but if the quantity amounts to ■several bushels daily, then a root-cutter will be needed. There are two classes of these, one for sheep, and the other for large stock, the essential difference being that those de- signed to cut roots for sheep cut into smaller pieces. Of those designed to cut roots for large stock, the Whittemore machine is as good a machine as any, having a capacity to cut up a bushel in about half ^ minute. Among farmers there is much unnecessary fear a^bout the danger of animals choking while feeding on apples, potatoes and roots. For the last ten years I have fed to my cows not far from three hundred tons of squashes, potatoes and roots, ( mostly :squashes) and never yet lost an animal or had any very seri- ous trouble from choking. My habit is to feed them while quietly in their stalls, with a division board between the feed of each. All cases of choking that have come to my notice have occurred whe?'e the a?iimal was suddenly distui'bea while eating. There is a great difference of opinion as to how many roots can be fed to stock daily without injuring them. The proportion will depend somewhat on the consti- tutional peculiarities of individual cows, but when the bowels are all right the appetite of the animal is probably the safest guide. I have had a large and extended experience in feed- CARROTS, MANGOLDS AND SUGAR BEETS. 29. ing squashes to milch cows, — the Boston Marrow, Hubbard and other varieties ; beginning with half a bushel to each animal, I increase the quantity until the daily consumption has averaged a hundred pounds a day to each. Under such heavy feeding, after a while their appetites clog some- what, but I am inclined to the opinion that, beginning with a moderate feed, they would soon readily eat seventy-five pounds daily with a reUsh, for as long a period as they migLt last. When feeding Carrots or any roots, the most economi" cal method is to give meadow or salt hay, with a small quan- tity of flax-seed or cotton-seed meal. The effect of the roots, and these rich meals is to give to these inferior varieties of hay, the nutritious value of the best upland English. )ffi^ What is a Mangold Wurtzel ? A number of years ago I raised a piece of Early Turnip Beet seed in a very isolated location ; there was not another piece of Beet seed growing t>vithin half a mile, at the least. A good deal of the seed wasted, as is usual when the seed is allowed to ripen well on ihe stock before cutting. From this waste seed thousands of young plants sprang up, many of which survived the winter, by the help of the protection of chickweed and snow. They had got so far along when ploughing time came, I left the piece unploughed, thinning them out that they might pro- duce early beets. As the season advanced a good many of them pushed seed shoots and ripened a crop of seed. Some of the seed I gathered and the next season planted it to see what it would produce. The crop was "everything ;" all the way from a nice, dark colored Early Turnip Beet, through different sizes, colors and forms, up to a light-fleshed Man- gold Wurtzel. As the original Beets were a very pure Turnip Beet, and during several years of careful cultivation for seed purposes had shown no admixture with any other variety, the experiment proved either that the coarse variety of Stock Beet, which we call Mangold Wurtzel are but sports from our fine-grained table Beets, or that the Beet class are sports from Mangolds, — most probably the former. CARROTS. M.ANGOLDS AND SUGAR BEETS. 31 Mangold Wurtzels differ from table Beets in their gen- eral coarseness of structure, and the larger size to which they grow, the elements which enter into the composition of each being the same in kind. I have grown an ordinary Turnip Beet to weigh twenty-three pounds, and of the size of a half bushel measure. At times, on rich, friable soil, the Long Blood Beet will attain to large proportions, but when led by such results to attempt to get equal weight with Mangolds, under first-rate conditions, the experiment, with me, has uni- formly failed. Still, when quality is wanted, in the fattening of hogs for instance, I am not certain but that the food ob- tained from an acre of the large variety of table Beets, may not be more than that obtained from an equal acre in Mangolds. What is a Sugar Beet? The term ''Sugar Beet" is an un- fortunate one, as the word "Sugar" had already been appro- priated to express the sweet flavor of the varieties of Beets raised for table use, while the word Beet is strictly a misno- mer, the vegetable Sugar Beet being in reahty a Mangold A\''urtzel. A generation ago our fathers used the term "Sugar" as a familiar designation for any sweet variety of beet raised for table use, and at the present by the great majority of the public the term is still so used. As the new industry of man- ufacturing sugar from the beet grew on the continent of Eu- rope, seedsmen were called upon to supply for commerce seed of the best variety for this purpose. It was necessary that this variety should be as free as possible from all coloring substance as this would, as a matter of course, give a stain to the juice, and impose on the manufacturer the labor of puri- fying it. The ones at first selected were the long, white Mangold Wurtzels, and these were called the "Sugar" Beet in commercial parlance. These white Mangolds were not entirely white, the portion that grew above ground being us- ually colored a light green by exposure to the sun's rays ; it 32 CARROTS, MANG0LD3 AND SUGAR BEETS. became therefore an object for the manufacturer to still im- prove on them to the end that all the coloring should be eliminated. The intelligence and enterprise of the seedsmen of Europe responded to tliis want, and in the course of a. few years two prominent varieties were produced, that have nearly completely satisfied it, — one of these was sent out by the estimable house of Vilmorin Andrieux & Co., of Paris,, and is named "Vilmorin's New Improved White," and the other "White Imperial Extra," by the distinguished German house of Ernest Senary. These improved Sugar Beets of commerce grow nearly entirely under ground, and when gro.vn these beets define themselves to be the Mangold variety, by the coarser struc- ture of the root, the stouter ribs and the greater coarseness, of the leaves, which spring in larger masses directly from the crown, than is the case with beets for the table. The moral of all this for my farmer friends is, that if you want a beet for table use do not order "Sugar Beet" or you will be very likely to find a Mangold growing in your garden,, a return, but not a recompense for the sweat and toil of the husbandman. VARIETIES. About twenty varieties are catalogued by seedsmen,, many of which are but strains of the same kind, bearing the name of the grower, who by careful cultivation has endeav- ored to improve it. Classified by form they come under three classes, viz. : — the long, the round and the ovoid or intermediate varieties. Classified by color we have the red or scarlet, the pink, the yellow or orange, and the white varieties. The Long Yarieties. — Among the more prominent of these are the Ox Horn, the common Lonsf Red, Sutton's CARROTS, MANGOLDS AND SUGAR BEETS. 33 Imperial, Norbiton Giant, Long Egyptian, Carter's Improved^ the Long Yellow, and the Siles- ian varieties of Sugar Beet. The Ox Horn is a very crooked grow- • ing variety, as its name would imply, with a small diameter in proportion to its great length. Growing almost wholly out of ground it curves about so in the row as to be decidedly in the way, is apt to break when pulled and in addition to these defects, storing very badly, it is not in any way desirable. The Norbiton Giant, Carter's Mam- moth Long Red, Sutton's Impe- rial, and Long Elvethan are im- provements over the common Long Red in a greater uniform- ity in their habit of growth, their size, and a less liability to grow hollow at the top at the ad- vanced stage of growth. Th3 Round Varieties.— In these are included the common Red and Yellow Globe, with some of the mider-ground vari- eties of the Sugar Beet. Ovoid are either red or yel- LONG RED. MANGOLD. low in color and are intermediate in form between the long and the round kinds. What Kinds to Grow,— In this country the Long Red are the most popular, particularly ihe Norbiton Giant :^ ^. b 34 CARROTS, MANGOLDS AND SUGAR BEETS, variety. While travelling in Eng- land, Ireland and France, for inquiry and observation, I found that the round and ovoid varieties were more generally cultivat- ed than the long sorts. In my ex- perience the ovoid varieties incline to grow smooth- er than the long kinds and hence are likely to bring up less earth with them, which on heavy soil is a matter of so m e moment. I think of the two kinds the yellow, under the same circumstances, makes the larger root. The long va- rieties pile better in the cellar, while the round or ovoids cut up rather more readily, appear less incHned to rot at the top, and are firmer fleshed. The globe and ovoid varieties ap- pear to be best adapted to hard and shallow soils, and of these the Yellow Globe and Ovoid are especially valuable, as they are better keepers than most sorts and remain sound, without sprouting, until late into the spring, and with special care may be kept even into the summer season. The long Silesian varieties of Sugar Beet vary from each other only in the color of the part exposed above ground, — being green, grey or red. The kind intro- OVOID MANGOLD. CARROTS, M.\NGOLDS AND SUGAR BEETS. 35 duced to the American public a few years ago, under the name of Lane's Improved American Sugar Beet, is a strain of the Long White Mangold. The improved varieties of Germany and France yield about double the per centage of sugar that is found in the common Mangold, in some crops the proportion being as high as thir- teen per cent. This would make the Sugar Beets of double the value of Mangolds for stock, but unfortu- nately, the roots un- der like conditions of cultivation, average but half the weight of Mangolds. As this treatise is about roots as food for stock, the cultivation of beet for the manu- facture of sugar is not globe mangold. within its sphere, yet I must express surprise that with the experience of Germany and France to draw from and our own inventive skill and enterprise to add to it, we have not as yet made marked advance in this department of manu- facturing industry. The average percentage of sugar found in analysis of beets grown in this country is exceptionably high. Land free from alkalies, of unbounded fertility, readily accessible, being attainable at almost nominal cost, it is a standing puzzle why we do not follow the example of other countries and raise our own sugar rather than import it. Per- haps the conundmm will be solved yet by some associate enterprise among our farmers, similar to that which gave 36 CARROTS, MANGOLDS AND SUGAR BEETS. birth to our cheese factory system ; the inducement in this case being the home market that the sugar factory would af- ford for unlimited areas of beets, while the refuse pulp would enable them to increase greatly the number of their neat stock, to the advantage of the manure pile and enlargement of their area of tillage. THE SOIL AND ITS PREPARATION. In the matter of soil, Mangold Wurtzels will accept a greater latitude than any other root ; thriving on every va- riety, all the way from light loam to muck, and from that to as strong a clay as is sufficiently friable for tillage. Muck (properly drained) and a strong loam are best suited to de- velop pounds of crop. Though the crop grown in the light- er soil is not so great, it is much sweeter than when grown on heavy soil, and when extraordinary quantities of manure have been applied, some of the heaviest crops on record have been grown on light loam. The great crop of Mr. Fearing of Hingham, of over sixty tons to the acre, was raised on a sandy loam. Some years ago I took a purchaser into the field where two lots of Mangolds were growing ; he selected at once the large roots on the low land. I asked him to taste a slice of those on the upland, when he at once changed his preference. As a rule it will be found that those grown on warm, upland soil are decidedly the sweeter and this fact has an important bearing on the feeding value of the crop. If the soil is in good heart for a foot in depth, plough it to that depth before putting on the manure. After putting on the manure, if coarse, it will be well to cut it up with Randall's wheel-harrow before ploughing under. After cross ploughing the manure four or five inches beneath the surface the aim should be to make a good seed bed by getting the surface level and the soil light and fine. On most soils this CARROTS, MANGOLDS AND SUGAR BEETS. 37 can be accomplished by a liberal use of the wheel-harrow followed by a fine-toothed smoothing harrow and that by a plank drag. An old barn door will sometimes answer for this, but as it is an excellent implement on the farm it will be well to have one. It should be about three feet wide and six long, with one side about ten inches high, meeting the bottom at an angle of forty -five degrees ; the planks had better overlap slightly, as they will the better break the lumps of earth. The team is to be hitched to Ihe turned up side, and the driver is to stand on the drag, driving it sideways over the land. The effect of such a drag in breaking up lumps and generally pulverizing the soil, will be found to be much superior to that of any roller. Should the soil be ot such a character or in such a condition that the harrow and drag process will not make a good seed bed, there remains no resource other than to prepare it as for onions, by raking over the entire surface. THE MANURE AND ITS APPLICATION. The kind and quantities of food needed to grow any vegetable is found by an analysis of that vegetable. Having thus learned the kind and quantity needed for any crop, the next step of the wise faraier will be to ascertain what ma- nures contain the necessary constituents and which of these contain them in the cheapest form. A little knowledge of Chemistry, in its application to manures, is of incalculable val- ue to the husbandman and no amount of experience and tra- ditionary knowledge can serve as a substitute for it. I believe that it is in this direction that the great advance in agricul- ture will be made, and were there no other argument for Agricultural colleges the fact that they are prepared to give thorough instruction in this one department would be a suf- ficient reason for their existence, and for their liberal patron- 58 CARROTS, MANGOLDS AND SUGAR BEETS. age by their several states. Prof. Voelcker, an excellent au thority in everything that pertains to chemistry, in its appli cation to agriculture, gives the following table as the average composition of the ash of the principal root crops. AVERAGE COMPOSITION OF THE ASH OF ROOTS. 1 ;3 .2 I ."S S "y, i-i •J CO Turnips. 38 49.8 7.8 II. 7 2.6 0.9 10.3 11.8 1.2 5-0 Swedes. 7 3S.9 14.0 12.8 4.2 0.8 10.4 13-7 1.9 4.2 Mangolds. 12 46.6 18.4 5-9 4.8 0.8 8-3 3-7 4.0 9.9 Sugar Beet. 40 48.0 10.4 6.4 9-5 I.O 14.4 4-7 3-8 2-3 Carrots, 10 37-0 20.7 10.9 5-2 I.O II. 2 6.9 2.0 4.9 Parsnips. 4 46.7 2.7 15-7 6.0 1-3 15-8 5.6 2.4 4-0 LEAF ASH. Turnips. 37 .7.6 5-1 33-2 2.6 2.0 7-3 13.1 3-5 1-1 .Swedes. 3 21.9 12.3 30.2 3-2 2.0 6.4 10.6 4.8 II. All root crops require prompt and thorough attention in the matter of weeding, and to lessen this costly department of labor they should not be raised on land aboundin^^ in the CARROTS, MANGOLDS AND SUGAR BEETS. 49 seed of weeds. Mangolds will require two or three hand wcedings, besides as many slidings with the scuffle or wheel- hoe. If too thick they should be thinned rather early in their groAvth, for I have oftentimes noticed that if this is left until the roots begin to develop, those left standing are apt to be dwarfed. It is best to give two thinnings. The plants should be left from ten to twelve inches apart ; the crop of eighty tons was thinned to twelve inches apart, and as the roots are more apt to grow coarse and prongy, and with less sugar in them, when far apart, I am inclined to ten or twelve inches as far enough. The object aimed at should be, as Prof. Voelcker has shown, to get the weight in many roots of medium size rather than in fewer roots of large size. GATHERING AND STORING THE CROP. Unlike other roots, the keeping qualities of Mangolds are destroyed by a temperature low enough to but little more than freeze the surface of the ground. In the late Fall when the growth is about completed, these much exposed roots have but few leaves to protect them and hence, where freezing weather is feared, the provident farmer will always give them the benefit of the doubt. If he is so unfortunate as to have his crop injured, let him at once get the most he can out of them, in the way of food, for though the injury at first may appear to be but trivial, the part frozen will become first corky and afterwards turn black, and ultimately rot. If but slighdy frozen the frost may be taken out by at once cover- ing the roots temporarily with earth, but such roots must be fed early or they will rot. Where the globe or ovoid varie- ties are grown, on land where they pull hard they may be lifted by running a subsoil plough with care. In pulling these, or any roots that are to be topped on the field, don't do, as is usually done, either scatter them on the surface, 50 CARROTS, MANGOLDS AND SUGAR BEETS. without any system, or throw them into heaps, as in either way the cost of removing the tops is increased. If thrown in piles the tops become more or less intermingled, and the small amount of extra labor thereby caused in topping each individual root becomes great in the aggregate, when thous- ands are handled. Still it oftentimes happens that the weath- er takes a sudden, unexpected turn, threatening too low a temperature for the safety of the crop ; under such circum- stances the question is how to get it out of danger in the most expeditious way possible. The quickest way is to pull and throw into heaps, roots in, tops out, by which arrange- ment, should there be considerable of a freeze up, the tops would shield the roots. To protect them still more effectual- ly earth may be shovelled over the heaps, so as barely to cover them, and when protected in this way they may be al- lowed to remain quite awhile awaiting the leisure of the far- mer. Here let me say that this plan of protection will not answer for all crops, as I have learnt with Cabbages, to my sorrow, for when covered up this way, but for a few days, when taken out they will be found to be almost cooked by the great heat which they have developed. In gathering all roots the great object is to have as few handlings as possible, hence, if the tops are not twisted off as the Mangolds are pulled, they should be laid in rows, tops in and roots out, four or more rows being put in one. It will be best to have two hands work together, and so make two of these rows, leaving a small passage-way between them, the roots being on the inside. Now let the topper folio iv with a large and sharp knife, and lop off the leaves to his right and left as he goes being careful to so top the roots that each individual leaf will fall separately, which means that he is not to cut the top of the root itself, for unlike Car- rots, Mangolds so cut are apt to decay when stored. For economical work the knife should be a large and somewhat CARROTS, MANGOLDS AND SUGAR BEETS. 5 1 heavy one, the blade eight or nine inches in length. A small grit stone for the use of each of the hands engaged in top- ping any kind of roots is always a good investment ; it saves running to the barn for an occasional touch on the grind- stone. If the roots are to be marketed they will need to be left awhile to have the earth on them dry, that it may fall off when loading, but if for use on the farm it will be rather of an advantage, as it will help keep them from wilting. The portion of the crop to be fed before Spring should be stored as near to the place of feeding as possible. The great ob- ject should be to keep them sufficiently covered and cool to prevent walking. As all the beet family are good keepers, there need be but a small per cent, of loss. Store them in a cool, rather moist cellar, provided it has no standing water. The heap may be three (»r four feet in depth, and should be covered with earth that is rather moist than otherwise, to prevent evaporation. The long varieties may be piled cord- wood fashion. Those to be fed after Spring opens can be kept in a pit, dug in gravelly soil, on a hill-side, or where there is no danger from standing water; the pit may be three or four feet in depth, and be filled to the surface. In covering there are two methods : one, to throw the earth di- rectly on the roots, and the other to first cover them with cornstalks, or some dry, coarse litter before throwing on the earth. In practice I find that when the litter is used the roots in immediate contact with it are apt to mould, more or less, and be affected with a dry rot, though it is an excellent plan to throw over coarse litter up to severe freezing weather. Which ever course is pursued it is best not to throw on more at first than is sufficient to barely cover them, and to add the remainder, making a covering of about two feet in depth in all; to which is to be added a foot of coarse hay as the weather becomes cold. The process of 52 CARROTS, MANGOLDS AND SUGAR BEETS. thatching with straw and so piling that there shall be a roof-like slant to the heap, with furnace-like ventilators opening from it at intervals, I have never found necessary in actual practice, the elevation of the earth above the bed being a sufficieut water shed, while the cold nature of the root prevents heating. Rats are the great enemies of root pits. I have had galleries cut by these vermin through a bed of roots, utterly destroying them for seed purposes. The best way of killing them in my experience, has been to drop a little arsenic on buttered bread and put it convenient- ly near their holes, but so far hidden that no neighbors dog v/ould be likely to suffer by it. FEEDING THE CROP. Besides arguments which are of weight for cultivation of all kind of roots, there are special ones for the raising of Mangolds. The vast bulk of yield exceeds that of any annual crop, as high as eighty tons of roots having been raised to the acre on the sewerage farms of England, and when to this is added the weight of leaves that such a crop would carry, it will be safe to say that a hundred tons have been given to the acre. Taken as a whole the Mangold has less enemies and is less apt to fail than any other root. Compared with the Turnip family, it has several marked ad- vantages, being more reliable in dry seasons and less liable to disease ; and in flesh-forming, heat-giving and fat-produc- ing elements it surpasses it. While the Turnip family cannot be raised repeatedly on the same land, indeed on most soil can be raised only at intervals of three or four years. Man- golds can be raised many years in succession, as Mr. Mechi, the distinguished EngUsh agriculturist, has proved by raising sixty tons per annum on the same tract of land of six acres area, for six successive years. They will keep longer in good CARROTS, MANGOLDS AND SUGAR BEETS. 53 condition than any other root, under favorable circumstances even as late as July. Experiments in feeding steers made with care, proved that while a ton of Mangolds increased their weight sixty five pounds, a ton of Swede increased their weight but forty-eight pounds, equal quantities of hay having been fed in each experiment. Other experiments have es- tablished about the same proportionate value between these two roots, though the general result was not as favorable. Mangolds, like fruit, undergo a ripening change after they are gathered, and until this is effected they are not in the best condition for feeding. The ripening process for the most part consists in a change of starch into sugar, and makes the Mangolds both more healthful and more nutritious food. Before this change is effected they are apt to scour stock if fed to any degree liberally. The time when this chem- ical change takes place will depend on the degree of ripe- ness of the crop when stored ; and this, as has been clearly shown is affected by both the soil on which they grew and the manure with which they were fed ; other conditions equal, those grown on upland ripen earher than those on lowland, while rank manures tend to prolong the period of growth and crops so grown, come into condition for feeding later in the season. In England, a common practice is to begin feeding the Mangolds at Christmas, while in this country the middle of January is considered early enough. Experiments careful- ly made have proved that when fed to fattening animals they should follow and not precede Turnips. It is a good rule in feeding this as with other roots or tubers, to begin with a smal] quantity and gradually increase the amount up to the limit which the appetite of the cow, her general health and the tale of the milk pail indicates. Every farmer who feeds a dairy needs a root cutter. There are several of these in the market, some designed for sheep only, which cut the roots into small pieces, others for neat cat'de, while some manufactured by 54 CARROTS, MANGOLDS AND SUGAR BEETS. our Canada neighbors can be arranged to cut for either class of stock. As good a one as I know of for stock purposes, cheapness, durability and effectiveness combined, is one sometimes known as the Whittemore machine, of which I present an engraving. This machine is capable of cutting about two .bushels a minute. Exper- iments in England have shown that 59 pounds of cooked Mangolds are equal to 70 of un- cooked ; but that meat made from steamed food wastes more when boiled. Leaves of Mangolds should be fed with care as they are more apt to scour than those of any other WHITTEMORE CUTTER. root. The reason of this is that they contain comparatively a large quantity of -B poisonous acid, known by chemists as "oxalic" acid, the same that is developed in Rhubarb leaves, when slighdy wilt- ed, and which sometimes causes death when such leaves are eaten as ''greens." The practice sometimes followed in Europe, of feeding the leaves of the growing crop, where labor is very cheap, is thought to pay, as the leaves are gathered just as they begin to drop from their upright position and when their usefulness as nourishers of the root have ended. But with labor as cheap as may be, there is no economy in this, for, aside from CARROTS, MANGOLDS AND SUGAR BEETS. 55 the deleterious effects to animals, when fed too liberally, by actual experiment it has been found that the wear and tear to the crop, incidental to the plucking of these leaves by an average farm hand, injures it more than the value of the leaves after they are gathered. Were it not for the enormous bulk that an acre will pro- duce in roots when compared with its yield in hay or grain, there would be a serious argument against the growing of them to any extent beyond what might be needed for medic- inal purposes, in the fact that the manure made from them is of so low a value ; and the practical weight of this argu- ment would grow in proportion as farmers acquire a knowl- edge of the most important department of farming. To most farmers a cord or load of manure of cow or horse is a cord or load of equal value ; now this is far, very far from being the fact, as will be seen by the following table which I take from the Scientific Fanner, compiled by the celebrated Mr. Lewis, who, by his careful experiments has laid the agri- cultural world under lasting obligation. In this table a ton of English hay is taken as the standard, and were all the ma- nure saved, both solid and liquid, from a ton of each of these varieties of food, the ingredients at the market value of the Ammonia, Potash and Phosphoric Acid would be worth as follows : — Hay, - - - - - _ ^10.00 Clover Hay, - - - - 15.00 Oat Straw, - - - - - 4.50 Wheat Straw, - - - - 4.16 Barley Straw, - - - - - 3.50 Decorticated Cotton Seed Cake, - - - 43-33 Linseed Cake, - - - - - 30.66 Malt Dust, - - - • - - 28.33 Malt, - - - - - - 10.50 56 CARROTS, MANGOLDS AND SUGAR BEETS. Oats, - - - ... - _ IT.50 Wheat, . - - - . 11.00 Indian Corn, - - - - - 10.50 Barley, - - - - - - g^g^ Potatoes, - - - - - 2.33 Mangolds, - - - - . - 1.66 Swedes, ------ i^^x Turnips, (common,) - - - - 1.33 Carrots, - - - - - -1.33 This table is very suggestive in many ways : — by it we see that there are varieties of food, the manure from which is worth more than the cost of the food itself. In its appli- cation to the feeding of Mangolds, it at a glance suggests the wisdom of feeding at the same time a portion of some- thing richer and more concentrated. By so doing the qual- ity of the manure is vastly improved and the crops will not be slow to discover it. There is still another reason for feeding these rich foods while using roots ; it enables the armer to feed with profit his straw or inferior varieties of hay. Says Prof. Stockhardt, "the full benefit to animals de- rivable from feeding roots is secured only when the pro- per proportion of substances rich in nitrogen are fed with them ; accordingly, about two pounds of oil-cake should be fed with each hundred pounds of beet root, or other foods may be substituted in the same proportion as they are rich in nitrogen." Recent researches have determined a fact of great value to agriculture ; that to get the most profitable results from food the Albuminoid and Carbohydrate elements should bear a certain proportion to each other, and that while a de- crease in either of them from this proper proportion means insufficient food, and a consequent loss of iiesh, fat or milk, an excess of either means money wasted. The j^roportion for cows that are dry and oxen when not at work, is about. CARROTS, MANGOIJ3S AND SUGAR BEETS. 57 one of Albuminoids to eight of Carbohydrates ; for oxen at work and cows in milk, one of Albuminoids to from four to six of Carbohydrates. The following table taken from Prof. Johnson's excellent work, *'How Crops Grow," gives the proportion of the Albu- minoids, Carbohydrates and other elements in roots and tubers. -^ ij o ^• o >, ' J3 to rs 1 1 i ROOTS AND TUBERS. POTATO. JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE. KOHL-RABI. FIELD BEETS, (3 lbs. weight). SUGAR BEETS, (i to 2 lbs.) RUTA BAGAS, (about 3 lbs.) CARROT, (about 1-2 lb.) GIANT CARROT, (i to 2 lbs.) TURNIPS. PARSNIP. PUMPKIN. »4.. 0.9 2 21.0 .0 ,8. I.I 2 15.6 .0 10.8 12 2 3 7.3 .0 II. I 0.9 I I 9.1 5 17.7 0.8 I 15-4 .0 12.0 i.o 1 6 9-3 .0 14.0 I.O I 5 10.8 .0 12.2 0.8 I 2 9.8 .0 7-2 0.8 I I 5-1 •3 11. 0.7 I 6 8.4 •S 4-5 1.0 I 3 2.8 To give the tables necessary to develop this interesting subject to its full capacity, would be altogether beyond the scope of my little treatise. I will refer my readers to the appendix of that excellent work by Prof. Johnson, *'How Crops Grow." THE COST OF THE CROP. An average crop of Mangolds ma}' be set down at 22 tons. To grow this crop would cost the farmer who depends on barn manure mainly, about as follows : — , g CARROTS, MANGOLDS AND SUGAR ]]EETS. DEBTOR. Ploughing twice, harrowing and dragging, - - ^9.00 Seed, — 4 lbs., - - - - - 3.00 Planting, _ - - - - . i_oo Sliding, weeding and thinning crop, - - 16.00 Gathering, topping and storing, - - - 12.00 Manure, and handling of 7 cords, - - 56.00 Refuse salt, 16 bushels, at ^1.25 per hogshead, - 2.50 Interest, taxes and wear and tear of implements and teams, ----- 15.00 Total cost, ;^ 1 14.50 CREDITOR. By crop of 22 tons roots, at ^8.50 per ton, - $187.00 ^* tops, — 4 tons, at $5.00, - - - 20.00 '" value of manure left in soil, - - . 14.00 $221.00 114.50 Balance, $106.50 In the above estimate I have assumed most of the labor to be by boys, who at hand weeding, if they are reliable, can get over the ground faster than men. I have made no allowance for the cost of cutting up the roots when feeding, as this does not belong under this head. Should the land be old the item of weeding would have to be increased one-half. The salt I have priced at its cost along the. sea-coast. I have estimated the value of the crop at the average value of several years past, while the manure charge is much higher than it should be where farmers have access to the fertiliz- ing wastes of great cities. CARROTS, MANGOLDS AND SUGAR BEETS. 50 Now^ if instead of being contented with a crop of. 22 tons to the acre, the farmer strives for double that quantity, he will get it by additional expense in but two directions, viz. : his manure bill and the cost of gathering and storing. If we now double the cost of each of the latter, and credit the results with double the crop, which every practical farmer who has had experience in root culture will allow is but rea- sonable, we shall have the following results : — ■ Extra cost of crop of 44 tons over one of 22 : Manure, — 7 cords, - - - _ ^56.00 Gathering, topping and storing, - - - 12.00 ^68.00 Now adding the credit side we shall have for Extra 22 tons roots, - - - ^187.00 6 tons tops, - - - - - 30.00 Value of manure left in ground, - - - 1^.00 ^231.00 Deduct extra cost, 68.00 Profits cleared, ^163.00 In other words, by investing ^68.00 for six months, we clear $163.00, Y*-hich, as any farmer boy can figure, is at the rate of about five hundred per cent, a year. Mr. Fearing of Hingham, with the same amount of manure raised over sixty tons to the acre, and the instances are numerous where over forty tons have been the crop when even a less quantity has been used. Can any farmer who has accumulated a small sur- plus of money do better than invest it in manure ? There is altogether too much money, for the prosperity of their farm- ing, invested by farmers in Savings Banks.' These banks pay from six to seven per cent, on money, but here is an instance where an investment made in manure pays over four hundred 6o CARROTS, MANGOLDS AND SUGAR BEETS. per cent. Merchants don't do so foolish a thing as to put their earnings into Savings Banks. No ; they invest in their business and so keep it and its money making capacity un- der their own control ; when will farmers be as wise and be- come their own bankers? Let me remark that the farmer who is so wise as to attempt to get t^e most from his land will do well to follow Prof. Voelcker's advice and drill in four or five hundred weight of some good phosphate, to the acre, in place of the same value in stable manure. In the above estimates of the. value of Mangolds we have assumed that the farmer sold his crop. Now it is true of this as of every other crop that the farmer can use on his pre- mises, that it is of more value to him than the general market price indicates. Under this head an intelligent farmer of large experi- ence writes : — "From experiments made in feeding beets, their practi- cal value has been made to range from 13 to 20 cents per bushel, with hay at twenty dollars per ton. An exact esti- mate of the practical value of beets for cattle food, is a dif- ficult matter, as it is now, and ever will be, hid from mortal ken. The improved condition of the cow, (when fed to cows during the winter,) her increased usefulness during the entire season, her lessened hability to sickness and disease which high feeding with any one of the different kinds of grain induces, her lengthened lease of life, her evident satis- faction and perfect contentment, which is so plainly mani- fested while eating her daily ration of roots, are each and every one legitimate items to be taken into the account in estimating the practical, the actual value of beets as food for dairy stock. "After carefully looking at the subject in all its bear- ings, so far as my experience has given me opportunity to do so, I have come to the conclusion that beets for cattle CARROTS, MANGOLDS AND SUGAR BEETS. 6 1 food are well worth fully as many cents per bushel as good hay is worth dollars per ton, without taking into considera- tion the increase of the manure ; and that the average cost, when stored in the cellar or put into pits, with every item of expense included, need not exceed eight cents per bushel." I will close my little treatise by remarking that while I cannot expect to have exhausted so prolific a subject, yet I hope and trust that it may prove of value as a guide and a stimulus to some of my many friends in the great community of farmers. CONTENTS. Page. The Argument for the Raising of Roots, - 3 THE CARROT . - - - 5 The Location and Soil _ _ - 6 The Manure and its Application - - 7 Preparing the Bed - - - - 12 When to Plant - - - - 13 The Seed and the Planting of it - - 14 Quantity to the Kox^ - - - 15 Varieties, and What Kinds to Grow - - 17 Early Very Short Scarlet - - 19 Early Short Scarlet Horn - - 19 Short Horn - - - - 19 Danvers Carrot - - - - 19 Long Orange, or Long Surry - - 20 Altringham - - - - 21 Large White Belgian - - - 21 The Cultivation, and the Impliments needed - 22 Gathering and Storing the Crop - - 24 Raising Carrots with Onions - - - 27 Marketing and Feeding - - - 28 THE MANGOLD WURTZELS - - 30 Varieties - - - - - 32. The Long Varieties - - - - The Round Varieties - - - The Ovoid Varieties - - - - What Kinds to Grow - - - - The Soil and its Preparation - - - 36 The Manure and its AppHcation - - 37 Salt as an Auxiliary Manure - - - 4c Planting the Seed and Tending the Crop - 46 Gathering and Storing the Crop Feeding the Crop - The Cost of the Crop 32 33 33 33 49 52 57 ONION RAISING. WHAT KINDS TO RAISE AND THE WAY TO RAISE THEM. been i^edorqii\ei|ded by^ ^orr\^ of tl:\e be^t. ktitlioi'itie^ ii] tl\e 6oni\tiy ki\d l\k^ ^oi\e tlit'oii^ll foiii'teeq editioi^^. PRICE BY MAIL, 30 CENTS. James J. H. Gregory, JVIarbletiead . LIBRARY OF CONGRESS SHI. eee 930 963 9 ' MY LARGE, ILLUSTRATED CATALOGUE or Vegetable and Flower Seeds, Sent Free to all Applicants. 9) Si)W 9> MAZIBLEHEAD, MASS.