Further Experiments on the Economic Value of Root Crops 561 



and fine enough so that the covering of the seed may be uniform. A gar- 

 den drill is an excellent machine for sowing mangel seeds because the 

 seeds are covered at a fairly uniform depth and the ground is firmed over 

 the row by the rear wheel. The marker should be long enough to mark 

 28-inch or 30-inch rows. A special sugar-beet drill, or even a grain drill, 

 may be used. The latter will sow three rows at once, but it does not 

 firm, the soil over the rows and the stand of plants may be imperfect. 

 Mangel seed as sold by reliable seedsmen can be expected to germinate 



FiL"'. 155. — The hardest pari of root culture is weeding and thinning. Knee pads 

 and hand weeders make the work less irksome 



fairly well. It can easily be tested a few days before planting if economy 

 in seed planting is necessary. 



Seedsmen sometimes recommend sowing 6 to 8 pounds to an acre. 

 With the best of seed and ideal soil conditions, a stand of plants can be 

 obtained with this amount of seed; but generally it will be best to use 

 10 or 12 pounds of seed and then leave the strongest plants when thinning. 

 A garden drill may be set to drop the seed in hills a few inches apart, 

 and in tenacious soils it is an advantage to have several plants breaking 

 through the soil at one point if there is a crust on the surface. 



In clay loam soils, three fourths of an inch is deep enough to plant 

 mangel seed. In porous, or Hght soils, one inch or over may be the 

 depth required to furnish the necessary moisture for sprouting the seed. 



