The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1890-04-16
RAISING MANGEL wuRzELs.

RAISING MANGEL wURzELs.
Where ensiiage is used root crops are
going out of the fashion, and it is well
that it is so, for the great use for the root
crop is principally to supply, after the
green food season is over. succulent food
of a watery nature to restore in a measure
the lack of that element in the form of
dried grass which we name hay. Now,
cornstall1 ensilage supplies this food in
far cheaper way, while its nutrient value
is somewhat higher pound for pound.
Though the weight of feed that can be
raised per acre is greater from mangel
than from cornstalk, yet doubt whether
in practice the weight of the former on
an average exceeds that of the latter. In
corn raising we do about all the work up
to the gathering of the crop by ma
chinery, whereas in the raising of man
gels there is of necessity good deal of
finger work. Again, while cornstalks are
put in condition for the animal by sim
gle process for the entire mass, in feed
ing maugels we must cut or pulp each
individual lot. The home of root culture
for stock feed is England, where the
temperature does not admit of the rails
ing of Indian corn.
Low, rather moist, strong land will
grow by far greater crop of mangels
than higher and lighter soil, but those
grown on lighter soil will contain more
sugar, and will therefore be more val
liable for food, though this fact does not
make it wise to grow them on poor up
land clay soil; but if it is friable,
that is, of a crumbly nature, it will
make excellent mangel soil All land
needs deep plowing, and eight cords
of good manure to the acre plowed in.
Besides this 500 pounds of some good
phosphate well mixed with the soil in the
drill will pay as an investment. The
drills should be as much as twenty-eight
inches apart to admit the use of the cult
vator, and where land is cheap they had
better be thirty to thirty-six inches apart.
If the land is ridged we have smooth man
gels, though have not noted any in
crease in bulk. The ovoid and globular
varieties are the sorts l noted growing in
England and France. These have less
waste about them than the long sorts, but
in average cultivation do not yield as
much bulk. Seed should be used very
literally, eight to ten pounds to the acre,
as the best of seed will not all germinate,
owing perhaps to the want of sufficient
moisture to saturate the spongy cover
ing, which is necessary to enable the lit
tie seed hidden within to sprout. l
never saw poorer stands of mangels than
in France, where farmers having had but
few acres under cultivation may be as
sumed to have taken all precautions to
insure crop.
Sow the seed as much as an inch and
a half below the surface in soil that has
been thoroughly worked, and in none
other should it be planted. Thin to a
distance which has relation to the guam
tity of manure applied; with very high
manuring fifteen inches is a limit, for
average manuring half that distance.
Mangels come the nearest to rhubarb in
the rankness of the manure they will de-
YOUR. l have raised heavy crops on soil
so heavily fed with refuse salted porgies
that the straw of the oat crop which fol-
lowed them was as salt as if it had been
picked. Pull them before the occurrence
of frosts to any degree severe, otherwise
we lose the feeding value of the leaves
which are worth for weight nearly as
much as the roots themselves and a freeze
that catches the exposed tops will cause
them to turn dark and surely rot After
they are harvested allow the earth adher-
ing to them to dry before storing, when
it will mostly drop off when loading into
carts.
The mangel is very easily kept. Frosts
and rats are its chief enemies. If to go
in a root cellar put them in at any con-
venient depth and throw a covering of
waste hay over them. If TO be kept in
the ground dig pit where rats do not
abound in a dry spot two or three feet
deep, fill to six inches above the surface,
then throw on a little dry brush, then a
layer Of earth aud cover this with bed
ding stuff, adding a few rails or sap
plings to prevent blowing away. Carrots
would surely heat up and rot if pitted
half as deep. Mangels undergo some
change in their nature so that they are
not in condition to be fed before mid
winter. If fed earlier they are apt to
purge the cows. Like ensilege they are
/ deficient in albuminoids and need to be
supplemented by some food rich in the
absent element, for the sake of the COW,
the milk pail and the manure heap, such
as cottonseed, gluten meal or linseed
meal. Before the time for feeding man
/ gels the COW can use the carrots, turnips
and cabbages. -Ne,o Y0rt Herald.
\ Ex-Empress Eugene has been spend.
\ ing some time with Queen Victoria