Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1882-05-22


lbs. each, and have produced nearly
100 tons per acre with the highest
cultivation. This, however, is far
beyond practicable and profitable
yield for the farmer, because not only
are these large roots grown at great
cost for manuring, but they are gen.
orally much less nutritious and more
watery than the more moderate sized
ones. 50 to 40 tons per acre is a
maximum ordinary crop, and %
tons is perhaps the average reached
by ordinary good farmers. This
quantity is doubtless produced at
more profit than larger crop would
be, and 800 bushels per acre, equiv
alent to the feeding of 4 COWS for six
or seven months, is satisfactory
enough. The long, red mangle is
the kind usually grown. 1t reaches
weight of from s to IA pounds, and
very large roots have weighed "a
pounds. 1t grows nearly all out of
the ground, being attached to the
soil merely by its tip and few east
ly broken roots, so that its gathering
is remarkably easy and rapid work.
There are globe varieties, orange and
yellow, and these are said to produce
well on soil inferior to that required
for the long roots and an intermedi-
ate variety called ovoid from it's egg
shaped form.
These roots require good farming
to be proftaly grown; but what good
crop does not? Well rotted manure
should be plowed in, either in drills
80 inches apart or as it has been
spread broadcast. The writer prefers
to spread the manure and pillow it in
with lap furrow, set up well, and to
apply artificial fertilizer in the drill
or over it soon after the seed has
been sown, and before the first hoe
ing is given. This leaves the soil in
in better condition for succeeding
crops. and unless the soil is we'll en-
riched previously, it is contrary to
good practice to put manure in drills
or hills, because it is very partial
manuring only. But when one can
not help it and need drills, the ma
nure may be dropped in the drills
opened for it, and very good crops
have been grown in that way. sc
inches apart is sufficient, and il
the roots are left II to IA inches apar
in the drills, that tend to produce {
large number of moderate sized roots
which often outweigh in value as wei
as quality crop of larger roots
1900 roots may be grown at thes,
distances apart on one acre, and i
the average weight is ) pounds W,
can have 40 tons per acre. Th
seed is dropped in the drills either b,
hand or by a small hand drill draw
by a horse. The convenient an,
useful hand drills costing but s.
each, will save in planting 4 acres al
their cost, as they drop the seed ant
cover it at one operation, rolling th
ground and leaving mark by whic
the row can be distinguished. Gu
own practice is to use one OF thes
hand drills by which one man ca
plant 2 acres a day as fast as he ca
walk. The mark of the row remain
and week after the seed has bee
sown small handwheel cultivate
is run over the rows, and having
scraper on each side which can b
set an inch or more apart, the youn
seeds are easily cut out close to tt
centre of the row, leaving the middl
to be worked by the horseshoe. II
mangles grow slowly and weak an
on rich soil that is apt to be weedy
are soon smothered by the fast grow
ing weeds, and crops are sometime
lost by neglecting this early han
cultivation. Afterwards when til
plants are up they are cut out with
narrow hoe to the proper distance
E. apart, after which they grow quick
and soon hold their own with IL
L weeds. But the cultivation shou
? be thorough and frequent, not on
/. to kill the weeds but to loosen Il
soil and hasten growth of the GRO
The seed is apt to fail and thereto