230 Progress of Agricultural Knowledge 



early sowing of swedes might have answered in the South of Eng- 

 land. At the time of our Meeting in 1841 there were beautiful 

 crops of swedes near Liverpool, of which the leaves already met, 

 and in that rainy region were, no doubt, perfectly safe. Here I 

 found a last attempt which had been made at early sowing of 

 swedes by Mr. Brooks, and I watched them with much anxiety. 

 During the six chilly wet weeks which followed, they went on 

 perfectly well. But no sooner did the sun shine forth in Sep- 

 tember, than after four days the white taint appeared, and the 

 plants grew no more. I do not mean that nowhere in the south 

 turnips can be planted early ; for on the top of the chalk hills I 

 know that they can ; and it is well worth observing how very 

 slight an elevation affects the climate, and consequently the growth 

 of crops. On the Cotswold hills, which are of no great height, 

 Lord Ducie, who has occupied a farm there, doubts if it be worth 

 while to grow wheat. But generally in the south, I do not be- 

 lieve we can sow swedes or turnips as early as in the north ; nor 

 have we moisture enough for carrying them forward ; conse- 

 quently, though we ought to manure them more highly than we 

 do, we cannot fairly be blamed, as we are sometimes blamed, for 

 not raising crops equal to those of the north. Still many of us 

 might grow much better turnips than we now do ; and it is one 

 of the points to which we ought in the South to give our most 

 earnest attention. 



But if our southern climate be against us in the growth of 

 turnips as well as of oats, there is a root which our warm summers 

 favour as they do wheat; that root is Mangold- VVurzel or Beet. I 

 state this on the high authority of Mr. Lowe, Professor of Agri- 

 culture at Edinburgh, who says : — 



'' Beet, however, requires a somewhat favourable climate. It is 

 accordingly more cultivated in the southern than in the northern 

 parts of this island. Although in Scotland very good crops are 

 occasionally produced, the plant is not so well suited to cultiva- 

 tion there as the Swedish and yellow turnips ; while in the southern 

 counties the beet is probably a more productive crop than the 

 turnip. Thus also in France and the warm countries of Europe 

 the turnips are not to be compared with the crops which are pro- 

 duced of beet." * 



Professor Lowe's opinion, that a heavier bulk of beet can be 

 grown than of swedes, is confirmed by Mr. Hillyard, who has 

 raised both for many years, and informs me that where he gets 

 25 tons to the acre of swedes he would expect 30 tons of beet. 

 The question then arises, can the farmer apply the mangold as 

 profitably as the swede ? It is well known that the swede is not 



* Lowe's Priictical Agriculture, p. 334. 



