1S03. On the Culture of Turnips. \^*j 



will be {liewn to the world, to be a building whica its enemies, 

 with all their fury, may attack in vain. 



Redouble then your exertions ; calmly perfevere. In fine, ne- 

 ver let the words of ^neas to his weather-beaten Trojans he 

 effaced from your hearts, 



* DuratCy et vofmet^ rebus fervate fecundis. ' 



I am, Sir, your, &c. W. 



TO THE CONDUCTOR OF THE FARMEr's MAGAZINE. 

 0?i the Culture cf Turiiips. 



Sir, 



A Correfpondent who ftgns himfelf ' A Northumberland 

 Farmer ' in the laft Number of the Farmer's Magazine, hav- 

 ing m.ade remarks at fome length upon my Letter of the 19th. 

 October 1801, inferted in that work, I beg leave to offer fome 

 animadverfions upon his communication. 



In the Letter alluded to, I merely afferted a v/ell known fa£l:, 

 that in the vicinity of Ripon, in which defcription I meant to 

 include an extent of country containing many thoufand acres of 

 land, turnips were (with few exceptions) fown in dt-ills at about 

 twelve or thirteen inches diftance in the rows. I further added, 

 that I believed the farmers in Yorkfliire, upon land proper for 

 growing them, were not inferior in the cultivation of turnips to 

 thofe of any country ; and though this has been controverted by 

 your correfpondent, and much ingenious argument employed in 

 favour of the Scotiili method of fowing them in high ridges of 

 twenty-eight inches difiance in the rows, yet they have not made 

 me a convert to his opinion. 



We have had turnips cultivated, in the fame manner as I fup- 

 pofe is done in Scotland, in ridges, dunged in the furrows by 

 women and children, nearly the fame as for potatoes ; the ridges 

 fplit with a double mouldboard plough, and the feed fown upon 

 them with a drill : But this is almoil entirely abandoned in fa^ 

 vour of the drill fixed to the plough, and is now fcldcm ufed, 

 but upon wet or very fliff fhony ground, diOicult to hoe, anci 

 which is very improper land to attempt to grow turnips upon. 



I have fome years fmce feen lands Town after this method, and 

 am fully fatisfied that it is not, generally fpeaking, more advan- 

 tageous than the Yorkfhire, or, as your Northumberland friend 

 is pleafed to call it, the Ripon method •, nay, I firmly believe, 

 upon good turnip land, as large, or even a larger quantity of 

 turnips may be produced, per acre, by tli^ latter, tlian by the 

 former method. 



R r 4 Tour 



