In the matter of soil, Mangold Wurtzels will accept a greater
latitude than any other root; thriving on every variety, all the
way from light loam to muck, and from that to as strong a clay as
is sufficiently friable for tillage. Muck (properly drained) and a
strong loam are best suited to develop pounds of crop. Though the
crop grown in the lighter soil is not so great it is much sweeter
than when grown on heavy soil and when extraordinary quantities
of manure have been applied, some of the heaviest crops on record
have been grown on light loam. The great crop of Mr. Fearing of
Hingham, of over sixty tons to the acre, was raised on a sandy loam.
Some years ago I took a purchaser into the field where two lots of
Mangolds were growing; he selected at once the large roots on the low
land. I asked him to taste a slice of those on the upland, when he at
once changed his preference. As a rule it will be found that those
grown on warm upland soil are decidedly the sweeter and this fact has
an important bearing on the feeding value of the crop.
If the soil is in good heart for a foot in depth, plough it to that
depth before putting on the manure. After putting on the manure, if
coarse, it will be well to cut it up with Randall’s wheel-harrow
before ploughing under. After cross ploughing the manure four or five
inches beneath the surface the aim should be to make a good seed bed
by getting the surface level and the soil light and fine. On most
soils this can be accomplished by a liberal use of the wheel-harrow
followed by a fine-toothed smoothing harrow and that by a plank
drag. An old barn door will sometimes answer for this, but as it is
an excellent implement on the farm it will be well to have one. It
should be about three feet wide and six long, with one side about ten
inches high, meeting the bottom at an angle of forty-five degrees;
the planks had better overlap slightly, as they will the better
break the lumps of earth. The team is to be hitched to the turned up
side, and the driver is to stand on the drag, driving it sideways
over the land. The effect of such a drag in breaking up lumps and
generally pulverizing the soil, will be found to be much superior to
that of any roller. Should the soil be of such a character or in such
a condition that the harrow and drag process will not make a good
seed bed, there remains no resource other than to prepare it as for
onions, either raking over the entire surface, or running over it
three or more times with the Meeker Harrow.
[Illustration: MEEKER HARROW.]