342 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



RAISING OF MANGELS. 



A. E. Hodges, Fairfield Center. 



(Stenographic Report.) 



A year ago I plowed about three-quarters of an acre of land. 

 Nothing more was done to it until last spring. As early as we 

 could, we hauled on it 20 loads of dressing, and harrowed thor- 

 oughly. Then we sowed about 1,500 pounds of 3-8-4 fertilizer; 

 we brought the tops of the ridges about 13 inches apart; then 

 went over it with roller, without a man on it, so as to drill the 

 surface down. 



On May 21 I planted my seed on top of the ridges which had 

 been made. About nine or ten days later we cultivated with 

 the cultivator shut very narrow, so as to go between the 

 rows ; we did this successively four times, once a week, each 

 time taking a little more dirt away from this ridge. After the 

 third cultivation, when the beets were about two inches high, we 

 thinned them to about four inches apart, and at the fourth cul- 

 tivation we went over them again and thinned to about six 

 inches for table beets and eight inches for mangels. 



On July 25, when the tops quite well covered the groumd, we 

 went through them again, and that was the extent of the cultiva- 

 tion which they had. I tried for seven or eight years to raise 

 a big crop of beets and mangels, but never succeeded before. 

 This year I have raised a successful crop of mangels and 

 turnips. 



The cost was about as follows: Rent. $7.50; plowing, $1.50; 

 dressing, $12; harrowing, $2; ridging and rolling, 80 cents; 

 planting, 50 cents ; cultivating, $3 ; thinning and weeding, three 

 times, $18; seed, $2.40; total, $85.70. The product from the 

 three-quarters of an acre was 840 bushels, equal to 1,120 bushels 

 to the acre, making the cost ten cents a bushel ; estimated value 

 to feed, 20 cents. I sold 100 bushels of red beets at 60 cents per 

 bushel which half paid for the entire crop. 



