On the Farming of Suffolk. 



273 



stubble in, ploughing back, thwarting twice, but instead of the 

 fifth ploughing or stetching up, the land is ploughed in ridges 

 from 27 to 36 inches wide with the common plough, a dressing 

 of from 16 to 20 chaldron-loads of farm-yard manure is applied ; 

 some use muck fresh from the yard, others compost dung ; the 

 manure is then covered in by splitting the ridges, the land rolled, 

 and the seed, from 5 lbs. to 6 lbs. per acre, is either dibbled by 

 hand or drilled at the latter end of April or beginning of May. 



Before hoeing, a plough without a breast and fitted with a 

 broad share, or a shim with a share and side-hoes, is used be- 

 tween the drills, and good cultivators repeat this several times 

 throughout the summer ; the mangel is generally hand-hoed three 

 times, the first hoeing costs 85. 6c?., the plants being singled by 

 children after the hoer ; the other hoeings cost about 2^. 6c/. per 

 acre : it is found that the deeper the land is cut with the hoe, and 

 the more the soil is pulled away from the bulbs, the less liable 

 they are to grow with long fibres and fangs. The varieties chiefly 

 cultivated are the long red ; the red and yellow globe varieties 

 have lately been introduced. Horn beet, a variety of the long 

 red, is preferred by some. 



Beet grown on the stetch (usually four rows on ten-furrow 

 work) has more roots than when grown on the ridge ; this is 

 attributed to the earth not being so much pulled away by the 

 hoe. Mangel is harvested about the latter end of October or 

 beginning of November ; the pulling and stripping the leaves is 

 often done by women and children at so small a price as from 85. &d. 

 to 45. per acre ; they are then carted off the land and laid on a 

 headland, or in a convenient place in a ridge-like heap about six 

 feet wide and four feet high ; this is covered with straw or haulm, 

 and then with a layer of earth taken from the side of the heap ; 

 the top or ridge of the heap is generally left uncovered with 

 earth ; some take the precaution of adding another layer of haulm 

 on the outside of the mould. In May the roots begin to shoot, 

 and are then likely to heat and rot ; to prevent this the heap is 

 broken up, the shoots rubbed off, and the roots laid in a barn or 

 outbuilding. It is obvious that by the bulbs growing they will 

 lose a portion of their nutriment ; it is, therefore, folly to allow 

 them to grow in the heap. Some do not pull down the heap, but 

 merely remove the roots to the cattle as wanted, and yet find that 

 they will keep through the summer without decaying, but the 

 heap should not be made very large, and the roots should be dry 

 when laid up. 



If wet weather occurs at the time of pulling, different methods 

 are practised to prevent injury to the land by carting ; some pull 

 the mangel and cover them with the leaves, and allow them to 

 remain in that state till dry weather comes for carting off. 



