MANGEL TRIALS AT MOUMAHAKI.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume XIII, Issue 2, 21 August 1916, Page 141

MANGEL TRIALS AT MOUMAHAKI.

During the season 1915-16 a number of varieties of mangels were under trial at the Moumahaki Experimental Farm. The variety trial plots were heavily manured, but the aspect was not all that could be desired. Pine-trees excluded the sun considerably, and no doubt the roots of the trees extracted considerable nutriment from the soil. Following was the manurial treatment, all quantities being per acre: Farmyard manure, 10 tons ; Ephos phosphate, 4 cwt. ; sulphate of potash, | cwt. ; sulphate of ammonia, J cwt. The seed was sown on 12th October, 1915, and the crop weights, taken on 24th May, 1916, are as follows :

Tons per Acre. 1. Wiboltt’s Danish Yellow Long-ovoid Mammoth ~ . 63-14 " 2. Wiboltt’s Danish Yellow Short-ovoid Giant . . . . 51-14 3. Kelway’s Best of All ' .. . . •• •• 58-28 4. Kelway’s Exhibition Golden Tankard ... .. 43-71 5. Kelway’s Langport Yellow Globe . . . . . . 67-14 6. Kelway’s Crimson King . . . . ... . . 46-00 7. Cooper’s Mangold Sugar-beet . . . . . . 31-14 8. Cooper’s Mammoth Long Red . . . ' . . ... 71-14 9. Cooper’s Jersey Queen .... .. .. . . 48-86 10. Cooper’s Yellow Globe .. ' . . .. ’ . . 44-28 11. Moumahaki seed Long Red .. ■ .. ... 72-85 12. Moumahaki seed—Sugar Mangel* . . . . . . 48-57 13/Sutton’s Golden' Tankard ?.'■ ... . . ' . . 37-14 14. Sutton’s Prizewinner Yellow Globe . . .. . . 65-71 15. Sutton’s Up-to-Date ’ . . . . . . ... 42-00 16. Sutton’s Jersey Queen . . . . ..' . . 50-57 17. Kelway’s Prizewinner . .. .' .. ..- .. 43-42 18. Kelway’s Long Red ... .. .. - .. 62-57 19. Sutton’s Sugar . . . . .. .. ... 46-28 20. Webb’s New Lion . . . . . . ... . . 57-14

The main field crop was confined to a few varieties, the, manurial treatment being also different to the variety trial plots. The main crop followed grass, the land being skim-ploughed during the early part of June, 1915, and . left without further treatment until September. It was then ploughed deeply, worked, and dressed with refuse salt, 5 cwt. per acre being applied a month prior to sowing the seed, which was sown on 12th October at the rate of 6 lb. per acre. The plants were singled during the latter part of November and- early .December ; the crop was weighed in the first week in July.

Manurial trials were carried out as follows, the variety in each case being Sutton's Mammoth Long Red : i. Superphosphate 4 cwt., sulphate of potash | cwt., sulphate of ammonia J cwt., all per acre. Weight of crop (roots only), 72-85 tons per- acre.

2. Ephos' phosphate 4 cwt., sulphate of potash | cwt., sulphate of ammonia J cwt., all per acre. Weight (roots only),' 36-28 tons per acre.

3. Ephos phosphate 4 cwt., sulphate of ammonia | cwt., sulphate of potash J cwt., nitrate of soda (applied as a top-dressing) 1 cwt., all per acre. Weight (roots only), 67-14 tons per acre.

. 4. Superphosphate . 2 cwt., Ephos phosphate 2 cwt., sulphate of potash | cwt., sulphate of ammonia J cwt., all per acre. .Weight (roots only),' 66-54 tons per acre.

The nitrate of soda in trial No. 3 was applied on a showery day, the date being 21st December. The cost of manure in this plot was 16s. over that of No. 2, but, as shown,- the increase in the .crop was 30-86 tons per acre. From the trials one would infer that Ephos phosphate is too slow-acting for mangels, but the result of a single test must not be regarded as conclusive.— T. W. 'Lonsdale, Manager, Moumahaki Experimental Farm. '

* Grown from seed raised from selection of Sutton’s Long Red and Sugar Mangel.