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The Cultivation of Mangolds. [march, 



in Great Britain the mangold {Beta vulgaris) is chiefly 



cultivated in the southern and midland counties of England, 



„ since it requires a. warm, somewhat dry, 

 The Cultivation of ^ J:, , , , ^ ^ 



Mang'olds climate. ine mangold grows best upon 



rich loams or upon such peaty soils as are 



found in the fens ; but in a suitable climate it is not very 



exacting as regards soil, and good crops may be grown upon 



•light ioams or upon stiff clays. In general it succeeds better 



upon stiff than upon light land. Under favourable conditions 



the mangold crop is one of the most valuable that a farmer can 



grow. As a food for dairy cows, for ewes after lambing, and 



even for pigs and poultry, mangolds are of great value, and, as 



they store well, they provide an admirable crop for summer use. 



Pulped and mixed with chaff, and fed in conjunction with cake 



and meal, they form an excellent winter ration for keeping up or 



increasing the milk yield. The ration fed may vary widely with 



the season of the year and with the cjuantity available. For 



dairy cows from \ cwt. to | cwt< per head per day would be an 



•ordinary allowance ; and full grown fattening cattle would 



^usually receive from | cwt. to cwt. in the Eastern counties. 



The varieties commonly grown are the white-fleshed or Yellow 

 tnangolds, the yellow-fleshed. Golden or Orange mangolds, and 

 the pink- fleshed Red mangolds, these being divided according 

 to shape into Globe, Intermediate, Tankard, and Long varieties. 



The mangold is essentially a food rich in sugar, the total dry 

 matter averaging about 12 per cent., of which nearly two-thirds 

 will consist of sugar. The composition, however, varies consider- 

 ably. Small roots on the average arc somewhat richer in dry 

 matter than large specimens. Certain changes take place in 

 storing which render the roots more suitable as a food for stock, 

 and they are therefore usually kept over winter until the early 

 months of the year. They may, however, be fed to stock from 

 October to November onwards — though not so suitable at this 

 period — until the end of the following summer. 



Preparing' the Seed-bed. — As one of the root or fallow crops, 

 mangolds follow a corn crop. They allow the ground to be 

 thoroughly cultivated and cleaned, and as they are deep rooting 

 they materially assist in getting the land into good " heart " for 

 the succeeding corn crop. If the land is at all foul with weeds, 



