THE CULTURE OF MANGELS 415 



manure should not be used, as it is likely to contain many 

 weed seeds. 



536. Seeding. The seed of the beet is produced in 

 " balls, " or "bolts," which contain from one to five seeds. 

 For this reason, it is impossible to regulate the rate of seeding 

 perfectly, and hand thinning must be practiced to obtain a 

 good stand. The seed may be sown with a one-row drill, 

 though where roots are grown in any quantity the use of a 

 drill which sows several rows at a time is desirable. Mangels 

 are usually planted in rows ranging from 28 to 36 inches 

 apart; the rate of seeding is from 6 to 8 pounds to the acre. 

 The seed is covered about 1 inch deep, or deeper if necessary 

 to insure moisture for germination. Seeding should be done 

 as soon as the ground is in good condition, which is about the 

 first of May in the Northern states, though on heavy soils it 

 may have to be delayed till about May 20. 



537. Cultivation. As soon as the rows can be followed, 

 the land should be cultivated. The best type of cultivator 

 is a four-row one with knives that cut just below the surface 

 of the soil. Cultivation should be repeated every eight or 

 ten days till the tops meet between the rows. In order to 

 obtain a perfect stand and prevent crowding, the plants must 

 be thinned to the proper distance as soon as they are large 

 enough, which is about the time the fourth or fifth leaf is 

 produced. They should first be "bunched," cutting out all 

 the plants in the rows with a hoe except small bunches 1 or 

 2 inches wide and 10 or 12 inches apart. After the plants 

 have recovered somewhat from the ' ' bunching, ' ' but while 

 they are still small, they are thinned by hand, all but the 

 largest plant in each bunch being removed. This leaves the 

 single plants about 12 inches apart in the row. The bunch- 

 ing and thinning is slow and expensive work, and it is largely 

 because of it that root crops are not more popular among 



