AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
f mjjjtttir tc imjrrabi tjje farmer, tlj* fkilter, aitfr % (garter* 
AGRICULTURE IS THE MOST HEALTHFUL , TffiE MOST USEFUL, AND THE MOST NOBLE EMPLOYMENT OF MAN,— Washington. 
CONDUCTING EDITOR, 
ORANGE JUDD, A. M. 
PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY 
ALLEN A CO., 189 Water-st., New-York. 
NEW-YORK, THURSDAY, MAY 8, 1855. [NEW SERIES.—NO. 86 
VOL. XIV.—NO. 8.] 
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SUGAR BEET AND MANGEL WBRZEL. 
We do not know why it is, but the culti¬ 
vation of these valuable and highly product¬ 
ive roots has not spread any thing like so 
rapidly in the United States as in Europe. 
For stockfeeding in the latter country, Sugar 
Beet holds the first rank ; and in February, 
March, April, and May, this and Mangel 
Wurzel are the chief dependence for fatten¬ 
ing animals and milk cows. 
It does not require so deep nor so rich a 
soil to raise the beet and wurzel as carrots 
and parsnips ; for with the exception of the 
Belgian variety of carrot, they grow much 
more out of the ground, and draw more of 
their nourishment from the atmosphere; 
they can also be grown in stiffer soils, which 
in some sections of our country is an impor- 
ant consideration. They are not subject to 
the fly like the ruta baga and the turnip, not’ 
to the rot like the potato ; hence they are a 
much more reliable crop. We have culti¬ 
vated them with great success for the past 
twenty years, and have never known them 
attacked by insects or vermin of any kind ; 
in fact, we consider them among the most 
certain of all our root crops. 
The Sugar Beet is much sweeter and more 
nutritious than the Mangel Wurzel, and its 
fattening properties are quite superior ; but 
it is not so hardy, nor is it so great a yield- 
er ; nevertheless, we much prefer its culti¬ 
vation, and would always plant twice as 
much of the former as the latter. There is 
no root equal to the Sugar Beet for milk 
cows in winter. Fed liberally of this and 
good hay, they will give almost as much 
milk in winter as in summer ; and the butter 
is about as yellow and rich as when feeding 
on the best of grass, which is more than we 
can say of carrots, parsnips, or indeed any 
other root, with the exception perhaps of the 
small, sweet parsnip, which is nothing like 
so great a yielder as the Sugar Beet. With 
these preliminary observations, we will now 
proceed to the particulars of the cultivation 
of the Beet, which is the same as that for 
the Wurzel. 
Latitude of Cultivation. —They may be 
grown from the Equator as far up as the 
45th degree of North latitude, but from 39° 
to 44° is their best range in America. Far¬ 
ther north than this the beet does not ripen 
well, and to the south it is subject to be in¬ 
jured by the blister-fly and grasshopper; the 
summers also are too long and hot for it as 
a winter crop, and corn and potatoes answer 
a better purpose ; still, if planted as early as 
garden vegetables in the southern latitudes, 
it may be brought forward for green food for 
the stock, about the time that grass gets 
parched up and fails, and thus answer a very 
good purpose. We think beets might suc¬ 
ceed well among corn, planted sufficiently 
wide apart to admit a row of roots in the 
center. In this case, the corn would pro 
tect the beets from the too scorching rays of 
the sun at the south, and we should think 
add to their juiciness and sweetness by the 
shade of the stalks. 
Soil. —The best soil for the production of 
the beet, is a deep, light, and moderately 
rich loam, resting on a clay subsoil; yet, 
as it has the power of drawing much of 
the food necessary to its growth from the 
atmosphere, by means of its large leaves, 
it will do very well in thin sands, a leachy 
gravel, or hard clay ; a good manuring, how¬ 
ever, on such soils would be essential as a 
preparation for the crop, and frequent stir¬ 
ring of the earth during its growth. A very 
rich soil, such as the deep alluvials of our 
river bottoms, is not a proper one for beets, 
inasmuch as the roots grow too large and 
rank in it, and are consequently coarser and 
less nutritious, and do not abound with as 
much saccharine matter, as is found in those 
growing on poorer soils. 
Manures. —When manuring is necessary, 
the best fertilizer that can be applied to this 
crop is rotted dung, though in a stiff clay or 
moist land, long (unfermented) dung is per¬ 
haps to be preferred, as it warms and light¬ 
ens up the land. If these are not to be had, 
use a compost of muck and lime, or 200 to 
500 lbs. of guano per acre, or 300 to 600 lbs. 
of superphosphate, or 13 to 20 bushels of 
bone dust; or, what would be better, com¬ 
post these in requisite quantities with the 
dung or muck, spread broadcast on the land, 
and then plow in. 
Preparation. —Plow deep, and roll and har¬ 
row the land fine, and throw it up into beds 
about one rod wide ; and if the subsoil be at 
all tenacious, have the furrows between the 
beds well hoed out, so as to drain off all fall¬ 
ing water. 
Kind of Beet. —The white Silesian is the 
best variety which we have cultivated, it be¬ 
ing the sweetest and finest-grained of all 
others, and to these good qualities, it joins 
that of producing an equally large crop. 
Kind of Wurzel. —The long red is the 
greatest yielder, hardiest, and best adapted 
to rich heavy soils. The long yellow is the 
best for light soils. 
Preparation of Seed. —It is essentially ne¬ 
cessary that the seed be soaked at least three 
days previous to planting, and if it be a 
whole week, it is no matter. This should 
be done in soft tepid water ; and just before 
planting, roll the seed in ashes or plaster of 
Paris, so as to prevent their sticking togeth¬ 
er, and facilitate the sowing. The beet seed 
has a thick, hard pericarp or shell, and till 
this softens and bieaks, it is impossible for 
it to vegetate ; and unless one can be sure 
of wet weather immediately after sowing, it 
will frequently not come up at all, or be so 
long about it, as to be the means of losing 
half the crop. 
Planting. —The beet may be sown broad¬ 
cast like the turnip, but as weeds are likely 
to spring up in most soils and prevent its 
growth, and the labor of exterminating them 
is much greater in this way, it is preferable 
to sow in drills. For this purpose the drill- 
barrow may be used the same as in planting 
the ruta baga ; but beet seed is more diffi¬ 
cult to deliver evenly through a small aper¬ 
ture than turnip, and we would not therefore 
depend upon the drill, except in a well pul¬ 
verized, friable soil. For sowing in a heavy, 
tenacious soil, take a piece of joist four inch¬ 
es square, or a round stick of the same di¬ 
ameter, half or just as long as the land to be 
sown is wide, fill this with iron or wooden 
teeth in wedge-shape, as far apart as you 
wish to have the rows, put a pair of fills to 
this, and hitch on a stout man or steady 
horse, and passing once or twice over the 
land, it drills it from one to two inches deep. 
Then follow immediately with the seed, 
dropping it by hand, or from a long-necked 
bottle, or tin cup with a hole in the bottom, 
and a handle attached to it, shaking the cup 
or bottle as you walk along, and following 
sharp with the eye to see that the seeds are 
evenly dropped. Faithful children of ten 
years old, can do this with more ease and 
facility than grown persons. As fast as 
dropped, cover with the hoe— in heavy soils 
