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composition of soils, can only be developed by geological research, and that a geological and agricultural survey would be one of the best investments ever made.

The importance of such a survey will suggest itself on a moment's consideration, its object being to ascertain the mineral wealth of the country, the fertility and capabilities of its soil, and consequently its value as a public or private possession, and it is only by invoking the "hand of science" that such information can be obtained. It is a well settled principle in theory, and better established in practice, that agriculture, which draws largely on the science of geology -lies at the foundation of all national wealth and strength, and any state or people that will encourage this necessary and advantageous pursuit, is on the highway to prosperity. In view of these facts and believing that the interests of agriculture in common with all the industrial interests of the state, demand a thorough geological exploration and agricultural survey, we would recommend a completion of the same.

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The committee on the fifth Topic, asked leave to report after the close of the session to the secretary, which was granted.

Mr. Hammatt, for committee on sixth Topic, submitted the following report:

It would seem by the wording of the question propounded, that to the turnip crop is awarded in the mind of the questioner the great benefits which have been derived by the agricultural interest in England from their system of rotation of crops.

The systems of rotation of crops in England being such as to yield largely of grain and very little hay, compared with the practice in New England, necessarily involve the adoption, for general cultivation, of some crop which shall answer the purpose of winter food for stock; and as the farmers and stock growers feed hay to their animals to a very limited extent, they have adopted the turnip as the cheapest and best substitute for it, and, it is presumed that under the circumstances, considering that they make up, with a very small amount of hay or straw, the whole diet of these animals, -it is the best variety of the root crop they can use. But in this

state, where grass is our principal and cheapest forage crop, it seems to us, that we should rather endeavor to produce and preserve for winter use a sufficiency of roots to furnish a desirable change and variety of food for our animals during the winter months, and to enable us to use advantageously much rough fodder in place of good hay, which could thus be greatly economised.

Inasmuch as the turnip crop in England is relied upon as the principal food for sheep during the winter, taking the place, almost entirely, of the various kinds of fodder and grain which in this state we are obliged to supply to our stock, our answer might very properly begin and end with the simple but emphatic word, none! But presuming that the Board did not expect or desire quite so short a reply, we will venture to express very briefly, our opinion, based upon our own experience and observation, that the turnip, however extensively cultivated in this state, would not "yield similar advantages" to the agricultural interests that it has in England. Neither would the cultivation of any one of the different varieties of vegetables, however extensively it might be adopted by the farmers of Maine. No root crop can in our climate be made to constitute, advantageously, so large a proportion of the winter food of sheep and neat stock, as does the turnip in England.

We can, perhaps, produce nearly as heavy crops and of quite as good quality as are produced there, it is, however, almost impossible to secure from frost the requisite quantity to support a large stock of sheep and cattle through our six months of winter, but notwithstanding the presumed impossibility of gaining the whole point, may we not by adopting more extensively the cultivation of turnips, beets. and carrots, approximate very nearly to it?

The turnip, in our climate, may generally be raised in large quantities, at less cost than any other root crop, but it is more liable to injury from insects, and is of less value as food for stock than either the mangold-wurzel or carrot.

The mangold-wurzel we esteem the most valuable of the roots referred to, on account of its certainty, with proper cultivation, to yield a large crop, and of its nutritive properties, equal to either the others. It keeps well, and is not, so far as our observation extends, liable to the attacks of insects or vermin in its early growth.

Carrots, too, may be produced, sometimes, in great quantities and at low cost, but our experience in their cultivation and consumption, has led to the conviction, that the mangold-wurzel is better adapted to our climate, and to the present manner of prosecuting our agricultural operations.

Upon the whole we cannot refrain from expressing the opinion, that the interests of the farmers of Maine would be very much promoted by a more extensive cultivation of root crops, as winter food for stock. A liberal supply of turnips, beets or carrots, during the winter, is sure to bring our stock out in the spring in good health and flesh, so that when they are turned to pasture, they are in a condition to receive that benefit from the young grass which it is intended by nature to yield, instead of wasting the earliest and best part of the pasturing season in recruiting their health and strength, which have been wasted and prostrated during winter in the vain endeavor to "hold their own" upon poor hay and straw.

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Mr. True remarked, that we had a wide diversity of soils in Maine, and one kind would prove better in one locality and another in a different soil. In Aroostook and York counties, differences of soil and climate are very great. The clays of Cumberland county hardly exist in Oxford. Consequently widely different methods of cultivation must prevail.

It must also be borne in mind, that we have had three unusually wet summers in succession. We may soon have a series of dry summers which will dampen the arder of strong advocates of root culture. He had found the Norfolk white and purple strap leaf turnips among the best varieties.

His father once had a piece of land where the soil had been washed in to the depth of some four feet. This land he planted to parsnips. When he took off the crop he weighed it, and found its produce was equal to forty-two tons to the acre. The parsnip requires a very deep soil, and on rich soil they are very productive.

Mr. Porter said the turnip crop was very important, not merely on account of its value for stock, but as an agent to improve the soil. He did not think there was any substitute for this root for

such a purpose. It left the soil where it grew in the best possible condition for subsequent crops.

Mr. Dill said he knew farmers who would not use turnips for their stock if they could be had for nothing. As for himself he liked them, but cattle fed with them were more likely to suffer from cold, unless in warm barns, than if fed on hay alone.

Mr. Drummond said a neighbor raised fifteen hundred bushels of turnips, gave them to the cattle and they were in no better, if so good, condition as those without roots. I feed hogs as well as neat stock or turnips raw. I feed one-half of the winter on turnips and the other half on mangold. My neighbor gave too much of them to his cattle which was the cause of difference between his and mine -his suffering loss, and mine gaining.

Mr. Tucker said his neighbors fed their hogs on turnips and they did well. I feed my horses with carrots and oats, and consider they do better than on twice the quantity of oats alone. My usual feed. is six quarts of oats and the same amount of carrots, and I never found horses do better.

Mr. Palmer said he thought very highly of carrots for horses and to fatten hogs. They were better cooked than raw. Carrots and pumpkins boiled together will fatten hogs cheaper than anything else. He had raised at the rate of upwards of fifteen hundred bushels of carrots to the acre. Turnips are colder than carrots. If you fill one half of a bin with turnips and the other half with carrots, the turnips will freeze solid, while the carrots will not freeze at all. Nothing will fatten a horse so quick as boiled carrots.

Mr. Martin had raised at the rate of three hundred dollars worth of carrots to the acre The year following sowed to carrots again, but the seed failed to germainate. Ploughed up and sowed turnips broadcast the ninth of July, and had an immense crop. But he should have preferred to have his carrots succeed, because he thought them better for animals than turnips.

He had fed carrots to horses and other animals, and was entirely satisfied with the result. He considered a bushel of carrots equal in value to half a bushel of oats. But animals fed on roots should be kept in warm stables, or the results will not be so satisfactory.

Mr. Lancaster thought very highly of roots and had been particularly successful with turnips, manuring about the same as for pota

toes. A good crop is from five hundred to six hundred bushels to the acre, but I sometimes get from eight hundred to nine hundred bushels.

Last year I ploughed up my ground in the fall. In the spring ploughed again, spread on manure and harrowed it in. Sowed the seed between the twelfth and twentieth of June. When up, I sowed on guano mixed with plaster, broadcast, and cultivated it in, at the rate of one hundred and fifty pounds per acre. I find planting on ridges the best, especially if the land is wet. I am now feeding my sheep on straw and turnips, and they look as well as those fed on hay without turnips. With us, turnips do better than mangolds. . Mr. Flint said he was troubled with the rutabagas rotting in the field. He had the same trouble with the green globe turnip, more than half of which rotted in the field. He did not think it strange that differences of opinion should exist as to the various kinds of root crops, for we have much yet to learn, both as to their culture and comparative value with other articles of food.

Mr. Hammatt strongly urged the mangold for late feeding. He never saw an animal that would not eat them, though he had known animals to dislike them a little at first. Very large crops could be grown and without so much labor as for other roots. They look feeble at first but soon grow vigorously and yield abundantly.

Mr. Cushman had tried beets, carrots and turnips, and gave a decided preference to carrots. He was desirous of learning the comparative value of roots and hay.

The Secretary said, it was not easy to give an exact answer to this inquiry. So far as the simple amount of nutritive matter which roots contain, is concerned, it could not be rated at over a quarter or a third as much as good hay, and if used as the principal article of food we must reckon chiefly according to this, but when fed in smaller quantities as an auxilliary to hay and coarser fodder we receive benefit not only from the nutritive matter they contain but from the assistance they render in the digestion and assimilation of other articles of food. So great is this, that to the extent necessary for this purpose they are probably fully equal, pound for pound, to good hay. Carrots contained a trifle the most of nutritive matter, beets about the same, say twelve to thirteen per cent.; Swedish

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