.l8 . On the Culture of Turnips, Ruta-Baga, i^c. F'eh, 



a tolerable crop could be depended upon, as beginning- earlier 

 the tedious business of turnip-sowing^, and lasting longer for 

 j^prin-g food, which are important considerations. 



In tlie turnip fields of some of my neighbours, I am told 

 there Vvcre a considerable number of small caterpillars this 

 summer; but as tbej v.ere not extremely numerous, and did 

 not attack till the plants were a good deal advanced, they are 

 t,aid not to have done much damage. On my ruta-baga I ob- 

 served several plants infected with the large common cater- 

 pillar, which we call usually the kail-worm, from which I 

 ielieve the wliite butterfly proceeds. They were so few^ 

 however, as to do little harm ; and I could not discover one 

 of them upon the common turnip. I am no botanist, but T 

 believe the turnip and ruta-baga are decidedly of different 

 4'enera or families of plants ; the ruta-baga being more allied 

 to colewort and rape, and the turnip to mustard. But, on 

 this subject, I must request the information of some of your 

 botannical correspondents... 



I tried this year a species of Hasting j^ea, but for which P 

 have no name. It is of a dun yellow colour, much spotted, 

 and a great deal earlier than the Scotch hot-seed pea. This I 

 can distinctly ascertain;,, having had both in the same fields 

 and my yellows were ripe above 14 days sooner than the o- 

 thers, sown exactly in succession. The Scotch gave at least 

 double tlie quantity of straw or palm ; but nothing could ex- 

 ceed the apparent productiveness of the yellow spotted pea, 

 in corn. 



I am most decidedly convinced of the advantage of drilling 

 peas. The field above mentioned was drilled at twelve in-- 

 chcs distance, except the head-lands, and a few irregular 

 short buts, which were broadcast. The drilled part, being 

 hoed, was clean,, like a garden, and completely covered with 

 crop ; insomucli that, when the plants grev-/ heavy, and fell 

 over, not an inch of land was any where visible. The broad- 

 cast head lands and buts showed only a few straggling plants^ 

 choaked up in an infinity of weeds, of every kind ; 

 and I am cure, if gathered separately, would not nearly have 

 produced the seed given to their part of the land. I am as de- 

 cidedly confirmed, by experience, in the great superiority of 

 drilled beans over broad-cast ; and have not sown any in the 

 latter way for several years. Next year I mean to drill my 

 t'.res. 



Nothing farther relative to husbandry occurs to me at pre- 

 sent, except what I think a very great improvement upon the 

 thrashing machii.-e, — v/orking bot,ii the rakes by a train of 

 wheels, instead of the old way, by belts. 1 was so unfortu- 

 nate 



