iSo4. OmLe Culture and Vfc of Ritfa Baga» ^\^l 



applied to flail work ; but this Is a branch of the fubjcc^ which 

 he has not noticed. 



I am at a lofs to afcertaln the benefit that ran be gained from 

 knowing that Mr William Tunftal has ereQed a mill which, in 

 fix hours, with one horfe, thrafhed fifty bufliels of wheat, or that 

 the late Mr Palmer of Matltock invented a mill which was much 

 approved of. I fhould be glad 40 know, whether thefe machines 

 were conftru£led upon diiFcrent principles from thofe in common 

 ufe ; if not, the word irivented is moll improperly ufed. I Ihould 

 aifo be glad to learn what was the length of Mr Tunftal's fhraw ; 

 for if it was cut by the middle, as is cullomary in many Englifh 

 counties, one third more grain might be thraflied in a given time 

 than is practicable in this country. In a word, the quantity 

 thraflied by any machine depends fo much upon the nature of the 

 feaibn, the climate of the diftri<£l:, the length of ilraw, and the 

 quality of grain, that no jull inference can be drawn from any 

 iiatement which is not fully and diilin£lly circumftantiated. I 

 am yours, &c. 



September 1804. Arator. 



TO THE CONDUCTOR OF THE FARMERS MAGAZINE. 



O// the Culture and Ufe of Ruta Baga, or Szuedi/h turnip. 



Sir, 



I OBSERVED, In your laft Number, a paper ' On the Quality 

 and Ufe of the Swedifli Turnip or Ruta Baga, ' and exprcfTmg 

 much doubt if it is yet fo well known as to be confidered as a crop 

 advantageous to the farmer, under the hazardous circumftances 

 which attend its cultivation. 



This has induced me, as a pra£llcal farmer, though much en- 

 gaged in other occupations, to bellow an hour in giving you a 

 fhort account of my experience of this fpecies of turnip. About 

 eleven years ago, foon after I knew of the ruta baga being railed 

 in Britain, I purchafed an ounce of the feed for one Ihilling, which 

 was fown in my garden. I found it ilood the winter, unafFe6led 

 by the frofl, and allowed fome (locks to Hand for feed. In 1 794, 1 

 had fome drills thereof in the field, and from them tranfplanted a 

 confuierable number of the beft ftocks in a kail-yard, upon two or 

 three falls of wtll prepared land. They were generally from 5 to 7 

 lib. weight. The winter was uncommonly fevere, and the fpring 

 ilijl more fo, a clofe froft having continued above twelve weeks. 



It happened (as I thought unfortunately) that a few of my fheep 

 ^ e z got 



