. Elements of scientific and practical agriculture : or, The application of biology, geology, and chemistry to agriculture and horticulture. t in the ground,they are much better in the spring than when exposed to theair in cellars. Daubeny states, that they may be preservedperfectly, by freezing them up solid in the fall, and thawingthem in the spring and rapidly drying them. The following is an estimate of the value of this crop inMassachusetts. Ploughing §4,00 per acre; manuring in hill$15,00 ; seed, 20 bushels, worth $5,00 ; two hoeings, $4,00,and digging, $10,00; amounting in all to $38,00
. Elements of scientific and practical agriculture : or, The application of biology, geology, and chemistry to agriculture and horticulture. t in the ground,they are much better in the spring than when exposed to theair in cellars. Daubeny states, that they may be preservedperfectly, by freezing them up solid in the fall, and thawingthem in the spring and rapidly drying them. The following is an estimate of the value of this crop inMassachusetts. Ploughing §4,00 per acre; manuring in hill$15,00 ; seed, 20 bushels, worth $5,00 ; two hoeings, $4,00,and digging, $10,00; amounting in all to $38,00. The aver-age produce is 200 bushels to the acre, worth at least $50, would give a net profit of $12,00 per acre. In someplaces, the value of the crop is more than double this sum ; inothers, less than half of it. But $12,00 per acre may be re-garded as an average profit on every acre of potatoes culti-vated in the State. Beets. There are several varieties of this root ; four vari-ties, at least, are cultivated to some extent in this country. 1. Mangel Wurtzel. This is the largest, and most pro-ductive of the family. Fig. 20-. The soil required for this crop, is a deep, moist, clayeyloam. The tillage, as in all cases with root crops, should bedeep; and the sub-soil plough used, to render the earth per-meable by the roots, to the depth of 12 or 16 inches. Theseeds may be sown with a drill-barrow, (Fig. 20), and coveredwith a hoe in rows about 2 feet apart, or they may be dropped 336 PRACTICAL AGRICULTURE. by means of a dibble. This instrument is made of wood, witha handle 3 feet long, a head like a rake, and from 6 to 12 teethone inch in diameter ; it is made so that it may be stampeddown, and the holes made an inch or two deep, about 2 inchesapart. A boy may then follow, and drop one seed into eachhole and cover with fine mould half an inch deep. Theyshould be sown the last of May. The after-culture consistssimply in keeping the ground clear of weeds, and of thinningth
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1840, booksubjectagriculture, bookyear
