REPORT OF MR. R. ROBERTSON 



S29 



SESSIONAL PAFER No. 13 



EXPEKIMENTS WITH MANGELS. 



Eight varieties of mangels were sown in uniform test plots in duplicate sets. 



The land was a clay loam in a fairly good condition, on which wheat had teen 

 grown the previous year. This was ploughed in the fall of 1909, well cultivated in 

 the spring of 1910 and barn-yard manure at the rate of twenty tons per acre spread on 

 the surface and ploughed under with a gang plough. This was again thoroughly culti- 

 vated and commercial fertilizer (made up of superphosphate, lh lbs.; bone meal, 11 

 lbs.; nitrate of soda, 1 lb.; muriate of potash, 1 lb.), mixed together and sown at the 

 rate of three hundred pounds per acre was spread on the surface and harrowed in with 

 a smoothing harrow. 



The seed was sewn in rows twenty-four inches apart with a Planet Jr. hand drill 

 in bunches of from three to six seeds in each, and one foot apart. When the plants 

 were from two to four inches high they were thinned out, leaving one plant in each spot. 

 This gives an opportunity for selection of plants, always having the selected one in the 

 proper place. Besides this thinning, they were gone through twice with a hoe, and 

 cultivated from time to time, at intervals of about a week. 



The first set of plots were sown June 3, and the duplicate set June 17, and all were 

 pulled October 12. 



The yield was calculated from that obtained from two rows, each sixty-six feet 

 long. 



The following were the yields obtained : — 



Mangels — Test of Varieties. 



to 



Name of Variety. 



1 Giant Yellow Intermediate. 



2 Giant Yellow Globe 



Gate Post. 



Perfection Mammoth Long Red . 



Yellow Intermediate 



Half Sugar White . . 



Selected Yellow Globe . 



Prize Mammoth Long Red 



Yield 



per Acre, 



1st Sowing. 



Tons. Lbs . 



32 

 32 

 31 

 30 

 30 

 30 

 29 

 28 



350 



20 



1,195 



1,380 



720 



555 



1,070 



1,255 



Yield 



per Acre, 



1st Sowing, 



Bush. Lbs . 



1,072 

 1,067 

 1,053 

 1,023 

 1,012 

 1,009 

 984 

 954 



30 

 W 



15 

 30 

 15 



Yield 



per Acre, 



2nd Sowing. 



Bush. Lbs . 



770 

 723 

 728 

 715 

 745 

 775 

 701 

 756 



15 

 45 



is 



30 

 15 

 15 



FIELD CROPS OF MANGELS. 



One acre of mangels was grown in four lots of one-quarter aero each. 



The land was a clay loam in fairly good condition, having grown a crop of oats 

 the previous year (1909), with clover hay in 1908. 



The land was ploughed in the fall, cultivated well in the spring, and barn-yard' 

 manure at the rate of twenty tons per acre spread on the surface, ploughed under, and 

 again well cultivated. 



To one half of each quarter-acre plot was added commercial fertilizer (superphos- 

 phate, li lbs.; bone meal, iMbs. ; nitrate of soda. 1 lb. muriate of potash, 1 lb.), at the 

 rate of three hundred lbs. per acre, the other half of each plot receiving the barn-yard 

 manure only. The seed was sown with the Planet Jr. sesd drill in bunches of from 

 three to six seeds in each bunch, and one foot apart. Those were later thinned out. 

 leaving one plant in each spot, and cultivated between the rows with a one-horse 

 cultivator four times during the season, and hoed twice. 



