AND MANGELS IN THE NORTH OF ENGLAND. 295 



which must necessarily have affected the growth of the swede 

 crop throughout these seasons. The active period of growth 

 of the swede crop usually extends from the beginning of June 

 till the middle of October, and it is therefore during this 

 period only that the frosts would seriously affect this crop. 



MANGELS COMPARED WITH SWEDES. 



The value of mangels as compared with swedes is an 

 important question for the root growing farmer in the north- 

 east of England. The former have many advantages over the 

 latter. They have no troublesome disease like finger-and-toe, 

 and no severe insect pest like turnip fly, while they keep 

 better till the late spring, and they also do not give a flavour 

 as turnips do to dairy produce. It is usually considered also 

 that they have a greater feeding value than swedes. In the 

 south, when swedes are valued at 8s., mangels are considered 

 to be worth ids. a ton ; and there they are also usually the 

 richer in dry matter. Warington in " Chemistry of the Farm," 

 states the average amount of dry matter in mangels as 1 2 per 

 cent., and in swedes as 107 per cent. 



In 1902, Mr. T. B. Wood, Cambridge University, obtained 

 the following average results from thirteen varieties of swedes 

 grown at three centres in Norfolk, and from eight varieties 

 of mangels grown at three centres in Norfolk and one in 

 Cambridgeshire : — 





Mangels. 



Swedes. 



Dry matter 



12-9:^ 



121% 



Containing sugar 



8-3^ 



6-4^ 



The Agricultural Returns (Board of Agriculture) for 1904 

 give the following estimates of the average yields per acre of 



these crops for the ten years 1894- 1903 : — 



Swedes 

 Mangels. (and turnips). 



England 18 "36 tons ii"96tons 



Northumberland IS'2I ,, ^$'^3 m 



Durham I4'64 ,, I3'02 ,, 



While, therefore, the average crop of mangels in England is 

 more than one-third greater than that of swedes, the average 



