REPORT OF MR. R. ROBERTSON 



257 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



Turnips — Test of Varieties. 



S 



] 



Name of Variety. 



Magnum Bonum. 



2 Kangaroo . 



3 Jumbo 



4 Mammoth Clyde 



5 Derby 



6|Pefpction Swede. ...... 



7|Halewood'8 Bronze Top. 

 8 Banghtjlni Selected 



Hall's Westbury 



Hartley's Bronze 



Good Luck 



Skirvings. 



9 

 10 

 11 

 12 



1.3 J Carter's Elephant. 



Yield per Acre. 



1st Plot. 



Bush. Lbs. 



962 

 957 

 954 

 948 

 943 

 940 

 935 

 929 

 921 

 907 

 811 

 789 

 783 



30 



ih 

 45 

 15 

 30 



io 



15 

 30 

 15 

 15 

 45 



2nd Plot. 



Bush. Lbs. 



781 

 811 

 734 

 770 

 761 

 742 

 783 

 687 

 797 

 775 

 775 

 701 

 660 



15 

 15 



45 

 30 

 45 

 30 

 30 

 30 

 30 

 15 



FIELD CEOP OF TUENIPS. 



Six acres of turnips were grown as a field crop in lots of 1 acre each. The land 

 varied from heavy clay to light sandy soil, including some black muck, about an equal 

 proportion of each being in each different acre. This land was ploughed in the fall 

 of 1907, well worked up in the spring of 1908, manure at the rate of 20 tons per acre 

 spread on the surface and ploughed under. It was again thoroughly cultivated and 

 sown in rows 24 inches apart. To one-third of each acre was added complete fertilizer 

 (Bowker's Square Brand) at the rate of 500 lbs. per acre, to another third complete 

 fertilizer at the rate of 250 lbs. per acre, the remaining third of each acre having 

 manure only. On account of the continued cold, wet and backward weather, this 

 crop was only finished sowing June 23 ; from this time on for the next three weeks 

 extreme drought was experienced, which resulted in slower growth of this crop than 

 tisual. Then, just when thinning and hoeing for the first time, such heavy and con- 

 linued rains were experienced as to make it quite impossible to work on the field for 

 some weeks, with the result that practically all this crop received only one hoeing 

 and one cultivating before attaining such growth as to render further cultivation 

 impracticable, and the land was thus left in a baked and unsuitable condition, some- 

 what weedy. From this time out, the season was particularly good for growth, but 

 owing to the baked and otherwise poor state of the soil, this crop did not make nearly 

 as good growth at this season of the year as usual, when conditions are favourable. 

 The following table shows the dates of sowing, harvesting and yield of varieties: — 



16—17 



