I ro On the Culture of Tur/i'ips. May 



The advocates for the Scotch drill aflert; — ' That they grow 

 their turnips to greater fize, and Hkewife produce a fuperior 

 weight per acre. ' The firlt will readily be granted ; but the pro- 

 ducing a greater weight upon a given quantity of land will by no 

 means be conceded to them. 



When turnips are fown at a diftance of 28 inches froin row 

 to row, and happen to plant badly, wliich will frequently be the 

 cafe, then the general deficiency will be much greater in fields 

 fo managed, than in fuch as are fown in rows at only 1 2 inches 

 difUnce. 



I have frequently heard it afierted, that farmers in general are 

 a fet of men fo obilinately wedded to old cuiloms, and fo pre- 

 judiced againiL innovation, that even a certainty of advantage 

 will hardly tempt them to deviate from the beaten track ; but 

 this, with refpe(!i^ to the fov/ing of turnips, docs not by any 

 means apply to the farmers in this county : for the Yorkfliire 

 drill was no fooner invented, but its advantages over the broad- 

 caft method were generally acknowleged ; and its ufe (with very 

 few exceptions) became univerfal. We are no ftrangers to the 

 lowing of turnips with the Scotch drill. Several perfons have 

 made a trial of it •, but the refult was not by any means fuch, as 

 to eflabiifli its fuperiority over the mode now in ufe ; and the 

 pra£lice is, I believe, nearly difcontinued. 



Some few years ago, I made trial of fowing fome of my tur- 

 nips at double the ufual diftance from row to row, by ufing 

 two ploughs, one with a drill fixed to it, and the other with- 

 out one ; but, after following that method for tv/o years, I 

 reverted to my former practice, which experience convinced me 

 v-as more beneficial. 'Tis true, my turnips with the wide in- 

 : -rvals grew fomcthing larger ; but I found them on that account 

 more liable to injury from the froil, and likewife, after Chrift- 

 rnas, lefs nutritive than thofe of a moderate fize ; nor had I any 

 reafon to believe, that my turnips with the wide intervals ex- 

 ceeded, or even equalled the weight per acre of the others, which 

 were only 12 inches diilant. 



In eating turnips grown upon raifed drills, a great proportion 

 of the dung and urine of the cattle or (lieep, which falls in the 

 hollow of the interval, muft efcape below the reach of the plough, 

 and confequently be loft ; which v/ill not be the cafe when tur- 

 nips grow upon a level furface. It is alfo well known to thofe 

 who are accuftomed to eat their turnips with fheep, that this 

 animal, by rolling itfclf upon its back, will fometimes get into 

 fach an awkv/ard pofition, as not to be able to recover its feet ; 

 nd if not found and releafed in a proper time afterwards, dies ; 

 'nd as this, upon a level furface, generally happens in the furrow, 



fo 



