Vol. XXXIX. No. 8. 
Whole No. 1569. 
NEW YORK, FEB. 21, 1880. 
, Price Five Cents. 
1 $2.00 Peb Yeab. 
[Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1880, by the Rnral New-Yorker, in the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.] 
Jfifll) Crop. 
THE CULTURE AND USE OF MANGELS. 
HBNRY STEWART. 
It is but a few years since the profitable cul¬ 
ture of roots was held to be one of the impos¬ 
sibilities of our agriculture. The climate was 
considered to be unsuitable for a crop which 
held in its cellular tissue 90 or more per cent, 
of water, and such was the force of this mis¬ 
taken impression that any one who attempted 
to grow a crop of roots was considered as a 
very foolish man. It was said, and is even 
now said, and insisted upon by persons who 
would not like to bo included among the “ old 
fogies ” that corn held a superior position as a 
feeding crop to any roots whatever; 
that while we could raiBe corn of some 
kind on any sort of land, the trouble 
and cost of a crop of roots were use¬ 
lessly undertaken and only failure 
could result from the attempt. Be¬ 
sides, said theyWhat will you do 
with your roots when you have them? 
If you should be so foolish as to raise 
three or four acres of them aud have 
as many thousaud LusheR, where will 
you put them and what wilt you feed 
them to ?” This was considered a sort 
of poser which squelched argument 
and was followed always by the 
clincher: “No, sir! you can’t grow 
roots here; aud if you could, you don't 
want them; you have corn and what 
do you want besides ?” But then came 
the knowledge that corn was a very in¬ 
complete food of itself, aud although 
it wouid fatten an uuirnal very well, it 
was not fitted to sustain the system of 
a growing or a milking animal, and 
something was needed to feed with it 
to perfect the nutritive ratio of the 
food, and that roots were precisely the 
sort of addition that was required. Corn, 
corn fodder and roots together made 
up precisely the nutritive elements in 
the exact proportion required. And 
then our scientific farmers saw the 
poiut at once, and set themselves to 
grow roots — and succeeded. Now, 
American farmers can grow roots as 
well a» any English farmer ever could, 
with their advantageous climate; as 
good in quality ; in fact, better, because 
more solid and less succulent; as large 
in size aud as heavy in the yield. We 
can grow mangels anywhere from 24 to 
40 pounds’ wuight, if we wish and at a 
cost that renders them the cheapest 
food we have. Forty tons per aere, 
equal to 1,200 bushels, are grown by- 
good farmers who understand the 
needed culture, and any farmer may 
grow as many, who will follow the 
right method. Is there any crop that 
will pay better? Mangels contain over 
one per cent, of flesh-forming material 
which is worth 4J cents per pound, and 
10 per cent, of carbohydrates worth one 
cent per pound. This Is for the fresh 
roots having 88 per cent, of water in 
them. At 14J cents per 100 pounds, 
equal to 8{ cents per bushel, a crop of 
40 tons gives a return of $113.75 per 
acre. To realize as much from coin 
one must grow nearly 2(10 bushels per 
aere. It requires but little figuring to 
discover which is the more profitable 
crop. 
We need to grow roots. They exert 
a beneficial influence upon the soil; 
not directly, but growing out of the 
necessities of their culture. The land 
must be well worked, must be well ma¬ 
nured and must be kept free from 
weeds. A truly honest farmer, I mean one 
who is honest to himself, and his profession 
and to his farm, should grow roots for this 
very reason, because the work disciplines him, 
in fact, will make agood and successful farmer 
him. 
Let ua consider what he must do. There 
must be a stock of good well rotted manure 
prepared. This is indispensable, and the 
ground should have been well plowed before 
winter Bets in. But the manure must be had, 
roots are desired. To grow one acre, then, 
there should be 25 loads of manure made, 
tarned over three or four times, kept ferment¬ 
ing through the winter and prepared for use 
early next May. This is disciplinary and use¬ 
ful work; it enriches the farm and the farmer, 
and the labor will give him higher ideas than 
are usually hefd regarding this work of making 
manure. Instead of being considered as filthy, 
disagreeable work, the mauure heap 
will be to him a laboratory experiment; 
carefully prepared ; well made ; fully 
performed; and its results watched 
with great interest. It will biing in 
the intellect to the aid of the hands and 
arms, aud will set in action a new order 
of affairs on the farm, as anything 
will do that is done for a purpose. 
This is the winter’s work. Next comes 
the seed: six pounds for an acre is the 
quantity required. 
The next consideration is the variety. 
After growing, the past year, twelve 
different varieties of mangels and beets, 
I would select the Kinver Yellow Globe 
for its soundness, color and yield. 
Nexi I would choose Lane’s Improved 
eugar beet, and I would grow half au 
acre of each, if I had but one aere. I 
like variety aud so do my cows: and if 
I can induce a cow to eat a few pounds 
more of sliced roots for her noon-day 
meal, she will rest the better in the af¬ 
ternoon, and milk the better in the 
evening for it; aud by giving a change 
week about, with these two roots, the 
sweeter sugar beets seem to keep up 
the cow’s appetite. 
The spring work, next, is to be 
thought about. If I could procure, or 
afford to procure a grubber, I would 
use that to work the fall-plowed 
ground. This loosens the soil for 10 
inches in depth without turning it over, 
and makes it in the very best condition 
for growing roots. Not having such 
au implement, I would cross-plow the 
ground after spreading the manure, 
and so mix the soil and manure, and 
then still further mix it by thorough 
harrowing. The soil is then marked 
out in furrows as straight as possible, 
27 inches apart. In the mean time the 
seed is aoakLng, and as soon as the fur¬ 
rows are made, before the soil has had 
time to dry, the seed is sown by hand 
in them, and a man or boy following, 
covers them about two inches deep with 
a hoe. A distinct mark of each furrow 
is still left by which it may be seen with 
ease. Three huudred pounds per acre 
of Peruvian Guano, blood manure, 
superphosphate of lime or specially 
prepared mangel and beet fertilizer are 
then scattered along the row and a few 
inches on each side. By soaking a 
small portion of the seed, the portion 
that will grow will be ascertained, and 
this is important, because 50 per cent, 
of old seed will be dead, aud iu that 
case a double allowance be re¬ 
quired. Although a hand seed drill is a 
convenience, yet 1 thmk the greater 
trouble of hand sowing will be repaid 
in the more regular and even growth 
afterwards. After planting, the ground 
needs cultivation before the weeds 
start; this is the least trouble and it i» 
WEBB'S NEW KINVER YELLOW GLOBE MANGEL.—Fig. 64. 
Lengthwise Section of one of Average Size as Raised at the Rural Experiment Grounds. 
