Mangold- Wurzel. 5 



when the crop was stored away, and again weighed and analysed 

 at the end of the first year's storage, and also at the end of the 

 second year. We might then have traced more definitively the 

 changes in the root, which I feel assured have taken place. This 

 is a subject well worthy the notice of root-growers ; for it must 

 be a matter of considerable interest to practical men to know how 

 long mangolds can be stored without suffering injury, and it is like- 

 wise of importance to determine by precise experiments by what 

 time stored roots have acquired their maximum feeding properties. 



Although I am of opinion that it is bad policy to keep man- 

 gold for two years, it is still an interesting fact that this mangold 

 could be kept apparently sound for so long a time. The question 

 arises : Do all mangolds when properly stored keep equally 

 well ? I confess that I doubt this, and am inclined to think that 

 the large quantity of salt in this mangold may have had some 

 share in preserving the root. Should it be found that mangolds 

 manured with salt keep much better than roots without salt, 

 additional inducement is offered to the farmer not to stint his 

 mangold in salt. This leads me in conclusion to express the 

 opinion that the character of the manures which are used for 

 mangolds has a material influence on their composition, which 

 no doubt must affect likewise their keeping qualities. 



In the absence of precise information and experiments, I abstain 

 from further speculating on this subject, and allude to it here mainly 

 for the purpose of showing how desirable it is that the whole 

 question should be thoroughly investigated. This, I believe, can 

 only be done properly by a systematic series of practical and 

 analytical experiments. 



Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester. 



