306 CHAPTER XVIII 



cent, of the " clusters." The cotyledons have difficulty in 

 reaching the surface, consequently soils liable to form a crust 

 should be avoided and, if under irrigation, the soil should be 

 kept moist until the seed has germinated. The seed should be 

 soaked and dried sufficiently to allow it to pass through the 

 machine readily, and should be planted only in moist soil. 



Ten to twelve pounds of seed are required per acre. When 

 the plants are a few inches hig-h they should be thinned out, 

 first by hoe and then by hand pulling, to about 10 to 15 inches 

 in the row. Wider spacing would result in larger roots ; but 

 the feeding quality and quantity per acre is less when too 

 widely planted. For this reason it is preferable to have a 

 larger number of small roots than a smaller number of large 

 roots. When grown without irrigation they should be thinned 

 out to about 15 to 18 inches in the row. 



Hand thinning is necessary, as the seed cluster contains 

 one to five seeds, and consequently a number of plants may 

 arise from the same cluster. 



On irrigated land, where the soil moisture can be regu- 

 lated, planting may commence in October, and continued not 

 later than January, but on dry lands it should not start until 

 November, or until the regular rains have commenced. 



During the early growth, the crop must be hoed by hand 

 two to three times. Narrow tooth cultivators could be used 

 frequently to advantage to control weeds and to break soil 

 crusts. On dry land, before thinning, a weeder may be used. 



Harvesting. — In America and Europe mangels are 

 pulled by hand, the leaves " topped off," and the roots stored 

 in cellars or pits until fed in the winter. Under the relatively 

 high winter temperatures in South Africa this is impracticable, 

 and the best and most satisfactory method is to leave the roots 

 in situ in the field. The daily requirement is then pulled and 

 carted from the field each day. 



About 25 tons per acre is considered a good yield. 



They should be sliced before being fed to stock. If fed 

 heavily when rather immature scouring is often caused. 



Seed Production. — Seed can be grown readily in the 

 T^'nion by pulling roots at the beginning of June. Only 

 desirable, disease-free roots should be chosen. These are 

 stored in cool, well-ventilated places until October or 

 November. They are then planted three feet by thrp<5 feet in 



