332 HANDY-BOOK OF HUSBANDRY. 



equal in feeding value to one hundred pounds of the best meadow 

 hay, and eight and a half tons from an acre of land have the same 

 actual nutritive value, as proven by experiment, as have two and 

 a half tons of hay, which is a remarkably good yield from an acre 

 of excellent grass land, laid down with much expense, and its 

 crop harvested and stored with care. Of course the labor required 

 for the production of the mangel crop is larger, area for area, than 

 is required for the hay crop, — very much larger, — but it bears no 

 proportion to its excessive superiority in feeding value. 



There are two varieties of mangel that are grown quite largely, 

 and it is still questionable which, if either, is superior to the other. 

 These are the Long Red, and the Yellow or Orange Globe, — 

 the former growing chiefly out of the ground, often to a length of 

 eighteen or twenty inches, and sometimes even more, and having 

 a circumference nearly equal to its length. The Yellow Globe 

 is almost a perfect sphere, and has been grown to a diameter of 

 thirteen inches. 



The crop requires the whole growing season for its perfection, 

 and the seed should be sown as early in spring as the danger of 

 late frosts will allow. Fresh seed germinates readily, and it prob- 

 ably would not be safe to plant, in the latitude of New York, 

 much earlier than the loth of May. The preparation of the land 

 should be the perfection of all that has been described in the early 

 part of this chapter. Depth of thorough cultivation, completeness 

 of drainage, and the richest possible manuring, are all necessary to 

 the best results. The crop may be grown either on the flat or on 

 ridges. The rows should be at least thirty inches apart (many 

 consider three feet none too much), and the plants should stand 

 twelve, or, better, fifteen inches asunder in the rows. The dis- 

 tance between the rows, and the intervals between the plants, 

 should be regulated according to the richness of the ground. It 

 is desirable that during the latter part of the season the entire sur- 

 face should be covered by the leaves of the crop, and especially 

 desirable that these leaves should not crowd each other by reason 

 of too narrow intervals. 



Mangels may be grown by planting the seed where the crop is 



