From the “Camperdown Chronicle” Victoria, Australia. 22nd June 1880.
Last week two excellent specimens of Mangold Wurzel were bought to our office by Mr T. P. Errey and may now be inspected at Mr Henry’s store.
Both of these plants were grown on the gentlemen’s land at Cobrico and one – the Red by name – turned the scale at 18 lb.; the Yellow Globe was scarcely so large but of uniform growth.
Mr. Errey informs us that last year he had a small parcel of land broken up with the intention of adding to his orchard. Before doing so however he determined to experiment on the soil. A number of different kind of produce were sown and the result is perfectly surprising. The Mangold Wurzel was sown together with a crop of beans but made little progress at first. The beans were first gathered in, averaging 70 bushels to the acre. Aided by autumn showers the Wurzel then sprang up and it is estimated that the average of this product was 60 tons to the acre.
A quantity of Sugar Beet was also grown on the same strip of land and yielded no less than 67 tons to the acre. The tares sown for seed gave 30 bushels to the acre and an acre of Oats yielded 7-8 tons of hay.
Including other kinds of produce tried was a heavy crop of potatoes of large size and as good as could be wished for table use.
It should be mentioned that the calculations in the first two instances were made by weighing an average square yard, the sugar beet gave 32 lb. and the Mangold Wurzel 28 lb.
The crop of the former is still standing and can be inspected by any one desirous of doing so.
From the foregoing it will be seen that the producing powers of the land are wonderful and we doubt whether finer results could be obtained anywhere else in the Colony. Another surprising fact is that no attention whatever was paid to the plants, the land was simply ploughed, sown and harrowed and the seed then left to make its own progress.
The same ground some eight of nine years ago was under water, but has since been reclaimed and its fertility may thus be partly accounted for.
