and Cottage Economy. 183 



thistles, and broad-leaved plantains ; let it be yearly well manured with coal 

 ashes, soot, and road-scrapings, &c, for it must be mown every year ; and to 

 make it produce as much as possible, the cow should never be allowed to craze 

 upon it in wet weather, or after the 1st of March. By this plan it may be 

 expected to average upwards of half a ton of dry hay annually, besides the 

 aftergrass. A portion of this hay or grass, or both, should be given daily ; 

 it will be found to correct any disposition in the cow to scour: the hay will 

 be found particularly useful in the calving season, or in sickness at any time. 



Let 40 rods of mangold wurzel be sown in the latter end of April or 

 beginning of May, in rows 2 ft. apart, and 18 in. in the row. * This root 

 requires good, strong, rich land ; it must be well dug, and, when the plants are 

 up, well mattocked, and kept clean. The produce, in this case, will seldom 

 or never fall short of 10 tons, being a supply of 1 cwt. a day from October 

 to May, and leaves in abundance may be gathered in September and Octo- 

 ber, leaving 4 months out of the 12 to be supplied with cabbages, greens, &c. 



I know that it has been said that a cow will only consume 1 cwt. of fresh 

 vegetable food in a day, but I must beg leave to dissent from this opinion ; 

 for some cows will eat more than double that quantity. However, as 

 40 rods of mangold wurzel is a fan- proportion of this excellent root, for it 

 is greatly superior to the Swedish turnip for a milch cow, we must con- 

 trive to have the same quantity yearly, by changing the ground, which may 

 thus be effected : — In October, as soon as the leaves are cleared away to the 

 extent of 20 rods, dig up the roots, and pit them in a dry situation, and 

 immediately dig and plant the ground with early potatoes, as before directed. 

 This crop of potatoes will be succeeded by turnips and cabbages; and 15 or 

 16 rods of the latter will supply (including the first and second cuttings), 



* Mangold wurzel may be sown in beds, thinly, for transplanting, on 

 ground previously occupied with early potatoes, peas, &c, and along with 

 turnips for the cow. — B. R. 



Mangold wurzel is the principal article on which I propose to keep the 

 cow in winter. Four roots of 6 lbs. each, I have proved, would be suffi- 

 cient for a meal to an ordinary-sized cow. Two of these meals, morning 

 and evening, are 8 roots a day. From the first day of October to the last 

 of April are 212 days, at 8 roots a day, are 1696 roots. A root of the above 

 weight requires 240 square inches to grow in, that is, 12 in. in the row, and 

 20 in. from row to row: so that 1696 roots will require 3 14 yards. Man- 

 gold wurzel by itself is, however, too opening : it will be necessary to feed 

 alternately with it and hay, 8 lbs. of hay at noon, and 8 lbs. at bed-time. With 

 the requisite attention to watering, bedding, and cleanliness, &c, a cow will 

 certainly be kept in good health, and yield milk and butter, if a good sort of 

 cow for those purposes, in great abundance. — J. A. 



Mangold wurzel delights in a rich loamy land, well dunged, and may be 

 sown in rows, or in broad cast; and as soon as the plants are the size of a 

 goosequill, they may be transplanted in rows of 18 in. distance, and 18 in. 

 apart, one plant from the other ; sow very thin, and cover the seed to the 

 depth of an inch only. In transplanting, the root is not to be shortened, 

 but the leaves cut at the top j and, in planting, let the upper part of the root 

 appear about half an inch above ground. In the seed bed keep them clear 

 of weeds : when planted out, after once hoeing, they will suffocate every 

 kind of weed near them. The best time to sow the seed is from the begin- 

 ning of March to the middle of April, although they may be sown any time 

 between then and the end of June. — A Friend to the Cottager. 



Sow mangold wurzel in rows 2 ft. apart, and drop the seeds into holes 

 made by the dibber, at 10 or 12 in. asunder in the row : to make sure, drop 

 two or three seeds into every hole; and when the plants come up, should 

 there be any failures, make good by transplanting with the trowel. — J. A. 



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