MANGOLDS. 161- 



Manufactures, and Commerce, awarJed him a gold medal for his 

 successful exertions in extending the culture of this root, " called in 

 German, Mangel Wurzel," and for "removing the prejudices against 

 this valuable vegetable." With the seeds a pamphlet was in some 

 cases sent out, with directions as to cultivation, and from such points 

 as are accessible of these it appears, that (in this country), at the date 

 of 1816, the value of the Mangolds, as supplying green food by 

 successive removal of a portion of their leafage, was much more 

 looked to than at the present day. 



Full details are given by Mr. Phillips of his disleafing operations 

 and their results, which given shortly show that from his plants, 

 grown at two feet distance, he took six successive cuttings of leaves, 

 proving of much service for feeding to milch cattle in a season of 

 drought, and the roots, when raised in November, run from 20 lbs. 

 each, upwards, to a few lbs. more. 



In a report, published in the same number of the ' Farmers' Journal ' 

 (April 8th, 1816, p. 127), we have detailed observations on the " Culture 

 of Beet-root," — "Abridged from the Instructions of the Agricultural 

 Society of the Department of the Seine (1812)," and published by the 

 Editor of the ' Farmers' Journal ' in translation, that his readers 

 "may compare the practice in France with their own, in the culture 

 of Mangel Wurzel or Lettsom Koot, now spreading so fast, and so 

 deservedly, in this country." Here, under the head " Stripping," it 

 is observed : " When the leaves are a foot long they may be taken 

 off." This may be repeated several times, taking care to leave those 

 in the middle. To avoid hurting the root, they must be stripped from 

 the inside downwards. " Cattle, and particularly cows, eat the leaves 

 with avidity. This stripping, it is true, diminishes the size of the 

 root, but it affords good forage in dry summers." 



So far as I find, from much search, this plan of removal of the 

 leaves (that is of some portion of them) was much more followed 

 formerly than at the present day. This was certainly to be expected, 

 as, with increase of knowledge of the reasons and principles of plant- 

 growth, no one was likely to remove what are equivalent to the lungs 

 and digestive powers of the plant without good reason. Still the 

 application of the rule may be open to exceptions. 



It is noticed by Prof. Wilson, regarding this point, of the advantage 

 asserted by some cultivators of Mangold, to occur in the plant* 

 furnishing leafage for food as well as roots, that " This practice, 

 which is quite opposed to our knowledge of vegetable physiology, was 

 far more general a few years back than it is now " (this was published 



* ' Our Farm Crops.' By John Wilson, Prof, of Agriculture in the University 

 of Edinburgh. Vol. I., p. 429. 



