392 FIELD CROPS 



imiform stand. The seed may be sown with a one-row drill, 

 though where roots are grown in any quantity the use of a 

 drill which sows several rows at a time is desirable. Mangels 

 are usually planted in rows ranging from 28 to 36 inches 

 apart; the rate of seeding is from 6 to 8 pounds to the acre. 

 The seed is covered about 1 inch deep, or de(^per if necessary, 

 to insure moisture for germination. Seeding should be done 

 as soon as the ground is in good condition, which is about the 

 first of May in the Northern states, though on heavy soils it 

 may have to be delayed till about May 20. 



528. Cultivation. As soon as the rows can be followed, 

 the land should be cultivated. The best type of cultivator 

 is a four-row one with knives that cut just below the surface 

 of the soil. Cultivation should be repeated every eight or 

 ten days till the tops meet between the rows. In order to 

 obtain a perfect stand and prevent crowding, the plants must 

 be thinned to the proper distance as soon as they are large 

 enough, which is about the time the fourth or fifth leaf is 

 produced. They should first be "bunched,'' cutting out all 

 the plants in the rows with a hoe except small bunches 1 or 

 2 inches wide and 10 or 12 inches apart. After the plants 

 have recovered somewhat from the "bunching," but while 

 they are still small, they are thinned by hand, all but the 

 largest plants in each bunch being removed. The single 

 plants should then be about 12 inches apart in the row. 

 The bunching and thinning is slow and expensive work, and 

 root crops are, therefore, not very popular among American 

 farmers. It is more necessaiy for sugar beets than for other 

 root crops, as uniformity is more important in that crop, and 

 the seed is sown thicker to insure a full stand. Large yields 

 being essential to the profitable production of root crops of 

 all kinds, much depends on the preparation of the soil, its 

 freedom from weeds, and the care which is given. 



629. Harvesting. Mangels should be harvested as soon 

 as growth stops in the fall, which is when the outer leaves 



