Proper Width for Drilling Mangold. 
447 
choked the channel, and it became necessary to relay the tiles. 
Manure had been applied each year, and tlie land was now too rich 
to grow corn, so that he continued to sow mangold, not Imowing what 
else to do. Mr. Peel fui-ther stated that a friend of his had grown 
mangold ujion the same ground for seventeen successive years. Such 
a fact is of practical importance in pastoral districts, such as the 
grazing-grounds in the North of England, because it is desirable to 
grow as near to the homestead as possible a crop which, like mangold, 
requires much labom- and attention. 
The Benefit derived from Salt. 
It appears, from Sir E. Kcrrison's experiments and remarks, that in 
his neighbom-hood salt seems to be valuable as a direct food for the 
plant. Mr. Frere, living on the chalk stratum, a marine formation, 
believed that his soil ali'cady contained a sufficient supjjly of salt, but 
added it to the guano, &c., partly for the convenience of sowing, and 
partly in the belief that it might produce a chemical action on the 
other fertilizers, which would make them better adapted for assimila- 
tion by the plants. 
The PRorER Width for Drilling Mangold. 
Mr. Wells inquired whether on a clay soil a nearer or a more 
distant drilling is advantageous, and called attention to a statement 
of Professor Voelcker, in a recent nimiber of the 'Journal,' which 
advocates drilling on rich soils much nearer than on poor soils — a 
principle which a writer in the Highland Agricultiu'al Society's 
'Journal,' for March, 18G1, protests against. On this point Mr. Peel 
said — I began with 27 inches. I then got to 30. Still that was too 
small. I next got to 32, and ended with 36. But as in the latter 
instance the wet summer prevented the mangold developing itself, I 
believe I should have had a heavier crop if I had put it nearer. If 
you want to grow a root from IG to 18 lbs. weight, I don't think that 
it will, according to my limited experience, be developed to that 
magnitude in rows much less than 3 feet apart. 
Mr. Holland called attention to tlie greater facilities for hoeing as 
well as for the more fi-ee development of root afforded by the greater 
width. 
Mr. Frere said, that the observation of Professor Voelcker had 
attracted his attention at the time, and that he was not prepared to 
conciu" in it.* If the roots are intended for storing, the larger the 
root and the smaller the number to be taken up the more conveniently 
are they stored, and, up to a certain point, the more valuable are they 
for the stock. After all, the problem is riot to grow marvellous speci- 
mens, but to combine the maximum weight per acre with good quality. 
* The stature of the plant, or even animal, varies with the spot of its nativity. 
The richer the soil, the more genial the climate, the larger is its natural develop- 
ment. Give what space you will to a root on a hungry soil, and you may only 
expose it to the taunt, " Nou si te ruperis, par eris;" Grow till you split, but 
you'll never make a large sound root. — P. H. F. 
