THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



423 



system of cultivation is improved and the land is 

 more thoroughly worked, the sowings may be 

 made at an earlier date with far greater safety. 



Mangold-Wurzel. — This root is better 

 adapted for strong soils than the swede, and 

 possesses greater powers of growth through a re- 

 tentive soil than any of our root-crops. The loose- 

 ness and friability of soil, which were necessary for 

 the turnip and swede, are not necessary in this case 

 except in a very reduced degree, and for this reason 

 a course of preparation answers very well for the 

 mangold which would not do for any other root. 

 There are two modes of preparing for this crop. 

 The one is a complete autumn preparation, so that 

 the dung is ploughed in and the land ridged up for 

 the seed before winter, whilst the other leaves the 

 application of the manure and the tillage of the land 

 to be finished in the spring. Each of these plans 

 has its respective advantages. 



The autumn preparation influences the mechanical 

 condition of the land by exposing the surface of the 

 land to the winter frosts, whereby it is crumbled 

 into a fine and loose seed-bed, whilst the manure 

 beneath prevents the soil from becoming too con- 

 solidated, with the additional advantage that you 

 are ready to sow in good time, and can ensure that 

 the land shall be in good condition for the seed even 

 when other ground cannot be touched. The sur- 

 face soil, which the winter has brought into such 

 good order, generally retains its character, unless 

 it is worked by some implement which smears and 

 glazes the surface, but this must be carefully avoided. 

 This autumn preparation is easily completed in un- 

 favourable seasons by dibbling the seed by hand. 

 If the spring weather is unpropitious, there is great 

 difficulty in then completing the necessary prepara- 

 tions for sowing in good season, and especially in 

 securing a nice fine covering for the seed, which is 

 not the less essential, because at a later stage the 

 roots luxuriate in a strong soil, such as cannot 

 always be brought to a fine tilth by spring culture, 

 On such soils this is often a great difficulty. 



Early sowing is of great importance for this crop. 

 The usual season is from the middle of April to the 

 middle of May, and for the heavy crops we must 

 not trust to late sov/ings. The growth of the seed 

 may be promoted by steeping it in water for a few 

 hours before it is planted. This will soften the 

 skin and render germination more rapid. After 

 this has been done, it should be kept moist until it 

 be placed in the soil, and then be lightly covered 

 by fine soil to the depth of from half to three- 

 quarters of an inch. It is usual to run a light 

 roller over the surface after the seed is sown, unless 

 the soil is too moist to allow it to be done. The 

 best mode of sowing the seed is by means of the 

 hand-dibble, especially in the case of strong land, 

 upon which it often enables an early sowing to be 

 secured, when waiting for the drill would have made 

 it late. 



Carrots and Parsnips. — A deeply-cultivated 

 soil is necessary for each of these roots, but they 

 differ in the soils for which they are best adapted. 

 The carrot flourishes best in a very loose and friable 

 soil : the parsnip prefers stronger land, and can be 

 successfully grown on soils which are too stiff for 

 carrots. The best mode of cultivating them is after 



another root-crop, as they require the land to be 

 kept very free from weeds during their growth. 

 When they follow a corn-crop particular care must 

 be taken to have the land well cleaned in the autumn, 

 and ploughed (if possible subsoiled also) before the 

 winter. Thus the labour in the spring will be 

 brought within moderate limits for securing that 

 condition of soil which these crops require, viz., a 

 deep and thoroughly-cultivated soil, with a fine 

 surface ; when this has been obtained we may con- 

 sider that we have completed the necessary pre- 

 paration. 



Carrots should be sown early in April, and the 

 parsnips early in March ; for producing heavy crops 

 the seeds must be sown in good time. The pro- 

 gress of the parsnip and carrot may be much fa- 

 voured by mixing the seed with some damp sand a 

 few days before it is to be sown, and laying it out 

 shallow in a warm room. When this is not done, 

 the carrot-seeds need other preparation, because 

 they cling together so much ; a good rubbing be- 

 tween the hands, followed by the admixture of as 

 much as three bushels of ashes to the acre, is pro- 

 bably the best means for favouring its distribution 

 on the land. When this precaution is taken, the 

 seed can be very easily drilled, and this is by far 

 the more frequent mode of sowing both these crops; 

 but many prefer sowing both carrots and parsnips 

 by hand, especially after germination has been en- 

 couraged. It is a very good plan to mix some 

 corn with the seed, so as to indicate its position 

 for the early guidance of the horse-hoe. 



The seed is usually sown in drills, from 12 to 18 

 inches apart ; and about Gibs, of seed per acre, gives 

 a sufficiently thick plant. It should not be buried 

 more than three-quarters of an inch from the sur- 

 face. When the sowing is completed, the land 

 should be hghtly harrowed, if corn has been mixed 

 with the seed, but otherwise it will be better to roll 

 the ground, so as not to destroy the drill-marks ; 

 but, if the land be at all adhesive, a hght harrowing 

 is preferable. 



Rape or Cole. — The general requirements of 

 this crop are similar to those of the turnip, and 

 need not be repeated ; but I may add to former re- 

 marks that the peculiar characteristics of some of 

 our soils which are favourable for growth of rape, 

 but not of turnips, arise from their composition 

 rather than from their mechanical condition. The 

 preparation necessary in each case is the same ; but 

 the time of sowing extends from April to September, 

 according to the succession of food which may be 

 required. The rapidity of growth varies much 

 with the climate, richness of the land, and method 

 of cultivation ; Ijut the sowings in April and May 

 will generally be ready for feeding in August and 

 sometimes in July, whilst the August and Septem- 

 ber sowings come in for spring use. As the princi- 

 pal demand for rape is in September and October, 

 the corresponding seed-time is June and July; 

 still the influence of climate will often render the 

 growth slower, and necessitate an early sowing. 

 From two to four quarts of seed per acre will be 

 necessary, according to the suitabihty of the soil 

 and climate, care being always taken to increase 

 the allowance of seed as circumstances become un- 

 favourable. 



