Cultivation of Arable Land. Mangle Wurzcl Seed, $c. 



beet. The plants grow to a large fize, both in their roots and tops, the former 

 being of a whitifh red colour. The leaves in the latter are of an oblong ihape, 

 extremely thick, flefhy, and fucculent. They are faid to be equal in quality to 

 Spinach, and, from their frequently extending in length more than thirty inches, 

 and in breadth above twenty, to greatly exceed that vegetable in point of produce. 

 This, like all the other tap. rooted plants that have been employed for the 

 purpofcs of huibandry, thrives beft in the deep, friable, fandy, or light loamy 

 kinds of foil. 



In preparing the ground, it is necefTary to render it as deep and fine as pof- 

 fible in the mould. This may be beft effected in the heavier forts of land, by 

 means of trench ploughing, in the manner that has been recommended for the 

 parfnip; and in thofe of the lighter kinds by repeated common deep ploughing. 

 In both cafes the frequent ufe of the harrow will likewife be requifite. A pro 

 portion of good manure fbould alfo be turned in, fo as to render the ground 

 fufficiently rich for the perfect growth of the plants. After this, at the time of 

 putting in the feed, the land mould be thrown into two-bout ridges, which leaves 

 the tops about two feet in breadth and the furrows one. In this way a confiderable 

 increafe in the depth of mould is provided for the roots of the plants. And in- 

 foils that are in fome meafure retentive of moifture, the lands are kept by it much 

 dryer, and in a ftate more fit for the growth of the plants. 



Seed&amp;gt; ar.d tme offowing. The feed mould be carefully felected from fuch plants 

 as are the moft perfect of their kind, and that have been cultivated at a diftance 

 jrom other forts. It fhould have arrived at a full ftate of ripenefs, and be made 

 ufe of while frefh. The proper time for putting the feed into the ground, in the 

 common method of lowing, is in the early part of the fpring, as fbon as the 

 feafon will admit, as in the beginning or middle of April ? but where the tranf- 

 planting method is intended, it fhould be fown much earlier, and very thinly, 

 as the beginning of March, in order that the plants may be in a ftate to fet out early. 

 Method offowing. The moft common method, where the furface of the land 

 is flat, is to fow thinly over the ground, in the manner that is practifed for carrots, 

 covering the feed in by means of very light harrowing. In this way the plants 

 are afterwards fet out by the hoe. But where the land is raifed into ridges, in the 

 manner juft defcribed, another mode is practifed ; the feed is dropped fingly by 

 the hand into little holes made by a dibble to the depth of about half an inch all 

 along the middle of them, at the diftanee of eight or nine inches from each other, 

 the plants thus Handing at the diftances of three feet from row to row, and eight 

 ar nine apart in them. But as it is not neceflary that they fhould ftand nearer. 



