1906.] Quality of Swedes. 287 



Distance apart. 



Number of roots 

 weighed. 



Average 

 weight of one 

 root. 



Average yield 



per acre 

 calculated from 



the actual 

 yield of the plots. 







Lb. 



Tons. 



8|- inches 



27,376 



ri2 



i8-2 



II 



20,178 



1-51 



17-8 



16 „ 



15419 



1-92 



17-4 



18 „ 



12,860 



2'2 I 



i6-i 



acre more than a crop in which the rows are 18 inches apart,, 

 without taking into consideration the greater dry weight and 

 increased feeding value of the smaller roots ; and, so far as 

 weight of crop and probable quality are concerned, a distance 

 of 8^ to 10 inches in the rows is considered to be better than 

 larger distances apart. Professor Percival, in reporting on the 

 experiment, observes : — " Whether this increase in value per 

 acre of closely-planted roots compensates for the greater cost 

 of hoeing, the reduced cleanliness of the land which close 

 drilling involves, and the trouble and cost of cleaning and 

 handling the larger number of roots, are matters which must 

 be considered before any recommendations can be made. Where 

 the crop is fed off by sheep the latter point is of no moment." 



Five typical roots from each plot on the twenty-four farms 

 were selected and the dry matter in them determined : — 



Average percentage of 

 dry matter. 



Roots 8i inches apart 11-15 



II ,, IO-88 



16 ,, 10-84 



„ t8 „ „ 10-78 



In one or two cases the dry matter was as high as I2'g and 

 as low as 9'85, an extreme difference of about 3 per cent. The 

 majority, however, were much nearer to the averages given: 

 above. The average difference observed in these experiments 

 between the widest and narrowest planting was "37, or less than 

 ^ per cent. This small amount means, however, a difference 

 of cwt. of dry matter on a crop of 20 tons of roots, and this 

 may be looked upon as a minimum figure. It might easily be 

 much more, as some of the closely-planted roots had as much, 

 as 3 per cent, more dry matter in them than those wide apart, 

 in the rows. 



