Staunton Spectator, And General Advertiser

From the Genesee Farmer.

RUTA BAGA AND POTATOES.

I annex an account of the result of a small crop of ruta baga and potatoes, which, if you think worth a place in your valuable paper, you may insert it. The ground occupied was gravelly loam, on which the preceding year was a crop of rye; that occupied for turnips I ploughed three times, and harrowed twice; after the last ploughing I put on three cart loads manure, (without top-boards,)—harrowed—then ridged with a horse plough, making the ridges about 2 1-2 feet apart. I then went across the ridges with an instrument, having five blunt teeth 12 inches apart, always letting one outside tooth run in the last mark made; then with the fingers dropped the seed. It took myself and boy about half a day to ridge, mark the ground, and plant the seed. They came up well, but the turnip fly destroyed nearly one third of my crop. This, however, I transplanted at the time of first hoeing, (29th July.) The plants grew very well, so that at the time of pulling it was hardly discernible which were then transplanted. I planted 24th June, hoed 27th July and 18th August; harvested 12th and 14th November. The ground occupied was 80 rods, and the produce 100 bushels of fine roots. I have some few bushels left, which I feed to my milch cows. I think them very valuable, not only for stock cattle, but for fatting, they containing much more nutriment than potatoes. I had one-fourth of an acre of potatoes adjoining the turnips, which I planted with pigeon or pink eyes—ploughed twice, then hoed, and put four loads of manure into the furrows, except two, in which I put a single handful of plaster into each hill. The potatoes were planted the 30th May, from 12 to 15 inches in the furrows—ploughed and hoed twice. The produce was 90 bushels—not as great a yield as I have seen accounts of, but I am so well satisfied with the experiment, that I shall plant in the same way this season. The use of plaster I do not think as good as yard manure: the rows in which I put plaster the potatoes were not as productive, most of the hills not having more than half, neither in size nor quantity. I am well satisfied that our farmers generally endeavor to cultivate too much land; a little well taken care of is better than much poorly.

Yours respectfully,
WILLIAM.

DANBURY, (Conn.) May 25, 1836.

P. S. I also tried a few mangel wurtzels; I esteem them very highly for milch cows.