Varieties of Roots. 



145 



tion, but becoming well established ; with the cabbage, and in some places 

 the carrot ; and it is well to remember that these plants had been grown 

 but a few decades for stock-feeding purposes. A very good example of 

 the length of time required to distribute an improved type is furnished in 

 the case of the garden beet. 

 The " improved " beet was 

 in the hands of Ruellius in 

 France, in i536;Matthiolus 

 of Germany in 1558, Lobel 

 in England in 1576 and 

 also in Italy, yet in spite of 

 this general distribution we 

 find that Blackwell in his 

 Herball of 1758 figures an 

 unimproved form as then 

 common, the type being 

 Beta nigra, an unimproved 

 form shown by Dalechamp 

 as early as 1587. It would 

 seem that although the im- 

 proved form existed over 

 350 years ago, the unim- 

 proved was still grown in 

 places as recently as 150 

 years ago. It took, then, 

 200 years for the better 

 type to displace the poorer 

 one. 



It is evident, that the 

 development of mangels as feed for stock is quite recent. Arthur Young, 

 1809, states that in England " they are very little cultivated at present," 

 but that owing to the fact that Sir Mordaunt Martin of Norfolk was 

 growing them satisfactorily and finding them useful for cows it was 

 proper to mention them in his work. The Complete Farmer in 1807 

 mentions the same facts and states that the root had not met the expecta- 

 tions of those who tried it, the chief objection being "the great expense 

 of its culture, it being liable to degenerate and the fibrous nature of the 

 roots rendering their preparation as cattle food troublesome." In the 

 above work, but one variety is mentioned, the red beet, but under the 

 title " beets," mention is made of the white beet which is stated to contain 

 considerable saccharin matter but which had not been used for stock 

 feeding (in England). A pale yellow variety was also grown. It took 

 10 



Fig. 55. — Giant Wiltshire carrot, 

 deep. Should be planted early, 

 six-inch squares. 



Grows rather 

 Background, 



