ROOT AND ALLIED CROPS 303 



to the Greeks as a vegetable in 300 B.C. In the Union it must 

 be looked upon as a crop of very minor importance. It is of 

 summer growth, affected by frost, and of poor feeding quality. 



3.— MANGEL. 



The mangel is a biennial of summer growth, grown only 

 for stock-feed. In South Africa, and in most countries, it is 

 the most important of the " root crops." It is a native of 

 the Mediterranean coast and Canary Islands, and has been 

 cultivated in Great Britain for about 200 years. 



Comparison between the Mangel and Sugar Beet. — 

 " The root of the sugar beet is fairly uniform in shape, being 

 longest near the crown and tapering gradually to a long tap- 

 root, while that of the mangel is of various shapes in the 

 many varieties. The flesh of the sugar beet is white, while 

 that of the mangel is usually reddish or yellow. The skin of 

 the sugar beet is also white ; the mangel may be red, white, 

 golden, purphsh, or even black. The sugar beet grows almost 

 entirely below the surface of the ground, while in many varie- 

 ties of mangel half or more of the root is above the surface, 

 making it much easier to harvest. Well-grown sugar beets 

 weigh from IJ to 2J pounds ; mangels should weigh 4 to 6 

 pounds. The sugar beet contains about 20 per cent, of solids, 

 of which about four-fifths is sugar ; the mangel contains only 

 about 12 per cent, of solids and not more than 6 per cent, of 

 sugar." In good crops mangels yield from 5 to 8 tons more 

 per acre than sugar beets. 



Description and Varieties. — Varieties vary principally 

 in colour and shape. According to shape the types are : — 



(1) Long Type. — These are several times as long as 

 broad, and have proved to be amongst the heaviest yielding 

 and most successful varieties in South Africa. Examples : 

 Mammoth, Long Eed, and Long Yellow. 



(2) Intermediate. — These are intermediate in shape be- 

 tween the long and globe types. Example : Giant Inter- 

 mediate. 



(3) Tankard. — Cylindrical and abrupt at both ends. Roots 

 usually small in size. Example : Golden Tankard. 



(4) Globe. — Globular in shape, usually yellow-fleshed. 

 Examples : Yellow Globe and Orange Globe. 



