The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1888-06-20
Cultivation OF Mangel. Wurzels.

How much seed is needed and how
far apart shall we have the rows?
From four to six pounds of seed is the
usual quantity, the higher figures allow
ing for considerable waste, while with
hand planting even the smaller amount
may be decreased. AS to the proper
distance between the rows practical
growers will give various replies, vary
ing from eighteen to thirty inches
The thirty-inch men are those who ex-
pect to depend on the cultivator to do
about all their wedding and are willing
to prepare and spare more ground, with
the object of having less wedding
That the crop does not require so much
room to yield the greatest bulk is
shown by the experience of other
cultivators, who have raised from forty
to over sixty tons to the acre, with their
rows from eighteen to twenty-five
inches apart, while the greatest crop on
record-of over eighty tons to the
acre-was raised with the rows twenty
four inches apart. Planting on ridges
is often advised, but so far as have
observed those who begin this way
generally change to the system of level
culture as they advance in experience.
The only advantages l have found in
the system of ridge cultivation have
been that the mangels appear to grow
with fewer roots and are more easily
weeded. These advantages in practice
are more than offset by the extra labor
of making the ridges and preparing
them for planting. Mangel seed is apt
to come up badly. One reason why
portion fails to vegetate is, infer, from
the quantity of moisture necessary to
reach and swell the encased seed.
Hence, if planted during dry spells,
care should be taken to get them down
to good depth-say an inch and half
deep-and then to pack the fine earth
closely over them, so that it may hold
moisture. Any machine, therefore,
that is used for planting should have
good roller. To facilitate and hasten
the vegetation some cultivators practice
soaking the seed by pouring on water
when almost at a scalding temperature
and letting the seed remain in it from
thirty-six to forty-eight hours, being
careful to keep it where the water will
not fall below blood heat, then rolling
in plaster or dry soil until it is suffi-
GENTLY dry to drop readily from the
machine. Some prefer to plant by
hand, in doing which some growers
will drop the seed on the surface by the
machine, and then follow and push
them under to the depth requisite with
the thumb and finger. Others use
strip of plank about four inches wide
and three feet in length, on the under
side of which are inserted wooden pins
,pnhac Tho nine haipr
and a quarter inches in diameter and
projecting two inches. In my own ex-
perience l rely on Matthews seed drill.
Where blanks are found they may be
proftably filled by transplanting the
young mangels, care being taken to
break off the tops of the larger leaves
and also to loosen the ground little
when planting them. All roots require
prompt and thorough attention in the
matter of wedding, and to lessen this
costly department of labor they should
not be raised on land Astounding in the
seeds of weeds. Mangels will require
two or three hand weddings, besides as
many slidings with the scufiler wheel
hoe. If too thick, they should be
thinned rather early in their growth,
for | have oftentimes noticed that if
this is left until the roots begin to
develop those left standing are apt to
be dwarfed. 1t is best to give two
Trimmings. The plants should be left
from ten to twelve inches apart. The
crop of eighty tons to the acre was
thinned to twelve inches. AS the roots
are apt to grow coarse and prongy and
with less sugar in them when far apart,
| am inclined to ten or twelve inches
as far enough. The object aimed at
should be to get the weight in many
roots of medium size, rather than in
fewer roots of large size.-JameS j. II.
Gregory.