COST OF HAEVESTING. 437 



sary in the field is to cover them carefully at night with 

 their own leaves. 



The labour required, and its cost per acre, in harvest- 

 ing a crop of mangold, necessarily vary according to the 

 amount of produce and the variety of mangold grown. 

 The Long varieties are always more expensive than the 

 Globe. Probably, taking the three operations of lifting, 

 trimming, and filling, the cost would amount to something 

 like 6cZ. per ton of roots produced. 1 



The produce of our mangold crops, as has been already 

 observed, is increasing each year, and appears, from the 

 details of M. de Gasparin's cultivation, to be susceptible 

 of even still further improvement. We can, however, 

 hardly draw any comparison between it and the turnip 

 crop, as their climatal requirements are entirely different 

 the one thriving best under those conditions which are 

 least favourable to the other a difference, however, which 

 renders it so advantageous to divide the root-break be- 

 , tween them wherever practicable, so as to render an aver- 

 age crop of roots far more certain in this variable climate 

 than if we relied upon either one of them for our winter 

 stores. In the southern parts of the country, where 20 tons 

 of turnips can be obtained, the mangold would probably 

 give as a return for the same cultivation 30 tons per 

 acre. 2 In the northern parts this difference could not be 

 expected, as the climate is less suitable to the mangold 

 and more suitable to the turnip cultivation. 



1 In cleaning and trimming mangold, great care should be taken not to cut 

 the roots off too close, and not to injure the crown in taking off the top. In 

 all cases, too, it is advisable to throw aside any injured or decaying roots ; 

 they may be quite fit to be used for present food, but would be liable to injure 

 the heap if stored with the rest. 



2 The results of Lord Lovelace's experiments, conducted for twelve consecu- 

 tive years on the same farm (Surrey), show that the mangold produce averaged 

 20 per cent, more than the Swedes. Roy. Agri. Soc. Jour., vol. iv. p. 23. 

 Mr. Paget, M.P., finds that on his farm (Notts) on his good turnip land the 

 yield of mangold is one-third more than of Swedes, and that where there is a 

 large proportion of clay in the soil the comparative produce is still more 

 favourable to the mangold. Roy. Agri. Soc. Jour., vol. xvii. p. 400. 



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