. Bulletin. Agriculture. ROOT CROPS. 37 inch ol" the tip (»f one cud is turned up at a ri<i:;ht anjilc' to form a guard for working close to small plants. The blade of the hoe should be sharp on both edges, so that it will cut each way when pushed and pulled. In order to make it take hold properly, it may be necessary to bend the edges of the blade down slightly. To give the handle the proper angle, the shank should be curved. It should flatten out into a narrow, thin plate about 2 inches long and fasten to the blade by means of two rivets. This hoe is not on tlie market, but ma}' be m
. Bulletin. Agriculture. ROOT CROPS. 37 inch ol" the tip (»f one cud is turned up at a ri<i:;ht anjilc' to form a guard for working close to small plants. The blade of the hoe should be sharp on both edges, so that it will cut each way when pushed and pulled. In order to make it take hold properly, it may be necessary to bend the edges of the blade down slightly. To give the handle the proper angle, the shank should be curved. It should flatten out into a narrow, thin plate about 2 inches long and fasten to the blade by means of two rivets. This hoe is not on tlie market, but ma}' be made bv an}' blacksmith. An old saw makes excellent blades. The shank should be made of Norway iron, so that it may be bent to give the handle the proper angle. Ruta-bagas are sometimes sown in di-ills in the early spring and transplanted like cabbage. The plants may be transplanted like kale, as the land is plowed. The roots of the plants are placed where the next furrow will cover them and the tops are left stick- ing out. For this method of transplanting, see the discussion of kale. About the 1st of November th<' roots are topped, pulled, and placed in narrow bins in the barn. Ui)on the approach of cold weather they are covered with hay or straw. The tops are sometimes cut off w'ith a sharp hoe and the roots then dug with a potato fork. ^lore generally they are dug first, the worker pulling on the top of the root with one hand as he bears down upon the handle of the j)otato fork with the other. The roots of two or three rows are laid together with the tops one way. The tops are then cut off with a long-handled knife. Some tAvist the tops off, claiming that the roots do not bleed and wither so much as they do when the tops are cut off. Roots are grown mostly for winter use and are fed up to the 1st of April. They are generally sliced before being fed to dairy cattle. 8ome dairymen feed them whole, claiming that cows can handle large roots nicely and that, unless the slicin
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