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THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



the beetroot alone, raised in the opeu field, and sown after the 

 disappearance of the frosts, ia only ready to be planted out 

 by the middle, and often towards the end of June, at the mo- 

 ment when the heat and drought render the drawing, trans- 

 planting, and revival of the plant much more difficult, and at 

 which the part of the season most favourable to vegetation has 

 already passed. Seeing no plausible reason for this exception, 

 M. Koechliu made an experiment. He sow^ed some seed on a 

 seed-bed towards the end of January, covered it with a frame, 

 and planted thetn out in March. The result of this attempt 

 Surpassed his hopes; he obtained a crop double that obtained 

 from the common method. From that moment he adopted 

 the process into his practice, and has uniformly had reason to 

 congratulate himself upon it. 



Notwithstanding his success, M. Kcechlin found few imita- 

 tors. They considered it rather an absurd idea to appropriate 

 to plants on a large scale hotbeds and glass frames, and were 

 frightened at the number of these it would require to raise 

 plants enough for many acres of land. Still, his method was 

 adopted by a few of his neighbours, and especially by MM. 

 Andre and Irvau Kcechlin, his relatives, who were able to 

 appreciate all its advantages. M. Andre Kcechlin, after hav- 

 ing tried the plan many years, sought to extend it, and 

 spoke of it to M. le Comte de Gasparin. The experiments set 

 on foot by that eminent agriculturist fully coufiimed those 

 made in Alsace. Yet, as this process involved some expense 

 and attention more than the ordinary method, the number of 

 imitators of M. Kcechlin did not very much increase. At that 

 period we were still under the influence of that proverb, now 

 happily forgotten, "that in agriculture, the first money gained 

 is that wbiehhas not been expended." 



This method, praised by some and cried down by others, is 

 on the vyhole but little known, and consequently badly appre- 

 ciated. We think, however, that the readers of the " Journal 

 of Practical Agriculture " will thank us for acquainting them 

 with the details. They can thus make the experiment, and 

 convince themselves, by their own efforts, of its merits or de- 

 merits. 



At the commencement, MM. Koechliu sowed at the end of 

 January on a hotbed, and transplanted towards the middle of 

 March. In order to economize the surface of the beds and 

 the number of frames employed, and perhaps also to shew the 

 excellence of their method in producing enormous roots, they 

 planted the seedlings at 60 centimetres (about 22 inches) 

 distance each way, so that they required per hectare only 

 26,000 or 27,000 plants (about 10,800 per acre), which they 

 obtained from a bed of from 22 to 27 square yards. This 

 system presented many inconveniences. It required the em- 

 ployment of a large quantity of dung, produced plants too 

 •watery, and consequently too delicate, and yielded many 

 hollow beetroots— that plant being liable to this defect when 

 it attains an enormous size. 



After ten or twelve years' experience, M. Irvan Kcechlin 

 determined therefore to modify his process in the following 

 manner. Towards the middle of February he placed, either 

 in the garden or in the fields, but always in a warm and shel- 

 tered spot, if possible by a wajl, frames 39 inches wide, made 

 of four boards of pine wood. As to their length, it varies 

 according to the number of plants wanted. The frames being 

 fixed, M. Kcechlin dug and carefully pulverized the earth 

 within it, and watered it plentifully with^liquid manure. He 

 surrounded the frames with hot horse-dung, and then tracing 

 with a garden-line small furrows very^ close to each other, 

 sowed in them the grains one by one, and covered them over 

 with the rake. At intervals he nailed across the frames laths 

 to support mats, which economically supplied the place of 



glass sashes, and protected very eftectualiy the plants from 

 frost. 



In the first days of April the plants generally reached the 

 size of the little finger, or at least that of a good-sized quill, 

 and were quite ready to transplant, which may be done even 

 in spite of a drought, for having attained that size they always 

 strike. In this manner they obtained plants much more 

 hardy, only they required more space than by the old method, 

 since they become larger. In other respects this considera- 

 tion is of little importance, the expense of the frames being 

 insignificant. We should add that the less thick the seed is 

 sown on the beds the better it will be ; for the roots re- 

 maining about two weeks longer in the fields than by the ordi- 

 nary mode are liable to run to seed, and nothing predisposes 

 them more to this than too thick sowing. For the same rea- 

 son we advise the cultivators never to use seed less than two 

 or three years old. 



M. Kcechlin prepares his land in the same manner as the 

 English faimers are accustomed to do for sowiog their turnips 

 and ruta-bagas. After having got the soil into a perfect state 

 by tillage, harrowing, and rolling, he forms, with the plough, 

 ridges from 18 to 22 inches wide, according to the richness 

 and the nature of the soil, and spreads his dung in the trench ; 

 he then covers the manure by splitting the ridges, and finishes 

 by levelling the tops with the roller. The land being thus 

 prepared, he transplants the beetroot upon the crest of the 

 ridges, placing them at 30 to 40 centimetres, or from 12 to 15 

 inches, distance from each other. For this purpose he uses 

 a dibble with four wooden points, in order to accelerate the 

 work. 



On this plan it will be seen that it requires from 40,000 to 

 60,000 plants to furnish a hectare (or from 16,000 to 24,000 

 per acre). The beetroots thus obtained are less in size but 

 more regular, and in the aggregate yield a greater product. 

 When the plants have struck, they pass between the rows 

 with the horjeshoe, after which they give them two or three 

 weedings, according to the nature of the soil. After the last 

 weeding, they lightly earth-up the plants. 



MM. Kcechlin consider it very important not to dress the 

 plants by cutting the ends of the leaves before transplanting. 

 According to them, it occasions a loss of time to the plant, 

 which receives much nourishment by the leaves. Left un 

 touched, on the contrary, they increase rapidly, soon cover 

 the ground, hinder the production, and above all the develop- 

 ment of injurious plants, and retain in the soil a freshness 

 which contributes greatly to the growth of the roots. 



Whatever precautions are taken, it cannot prevent a certain 

 number of roots running to seed. They meet this evil by 

 cutting off the stems with a reaping hook. We should ob- 

 serve here that this inconvenience, which is a real one, ia 

 generally less so than we take it at first sight. The stalks of 

 beetroot make a great show in the field, and one is always 

 tempted to believe that the proportion of those that run to 

 seed is more considerable than it really is ; in counting them 

 they will be found of less importance than may be imagined. 



The returns obtained by the Kcechlin plan are extremely 

 high. In a good soil it will produce from 80,000 to 90,000 

 kilogrammes per hectare (or from 32 to 36 tons per acre) on 

 an average, when strongly manured. M. Kcechlin is said to 

 have obtained from 120,000 even to 150,000 kilogrammes (or 

 from 48 to 60 tons per acre). 



This agriculturist recommends cutting the leaves some time 

 before pulling the roots, the wounds having thus time to cica- 

 trize. We have successfully employed another method, which 

 we request those of our readers who have a careful shepherd 

 to try : it ia to have them eaten off by sheep. If the shepherd 



