1803. On the Culture of Turnips. 15 1 



fo the intervals of the railt'd drills prcfciiting To many furrows, 

 muft make the danger proportionally greater. 



When it is confuiercd, that, in this part of Yorkfliire, M^e 

 grow turnips that yearly feed vail quantities of cattle and flieep 

 of our own breed, as well as feverai thoufands of fhcep from 

 Northumberland, we ought, if experience can be laid to teach 

 people any tiling, to be allowed fo know fomething of this bufi- 

 nefs ; and having made trial of the three different modes above 

 mentioned, we certainly ihall hold to that which we think is 

 beft. 



It is not every farmer who caji re fart to mathematical calculations 

 to found his opinion upon \ but a man of common fenfe can 

 make a comparative ellimate of the value of a crop, according to 

 the greater or lefs time that it will maintain a given number of 

 ftock. Could the farmer plant turnips upon his ground, and 

 grow them to a given fize with equal facility, as the mathemati- 

 cian can calculate their v/eight upon paper, we Ihould then have it 

 in our power to make proper conclufions without danger of mif- 

 take ; but as it v/ill not be fo, I only wiili the Northumberland 

 farmer was in this neighbourhood at prefent, to convince him- 

 felf, by ocular demonllration, tliat the modes of other counties 

 may be equal to his own. 



The above is my real opinion refpeeling the dlfFercnt methods 

 of cultivating turnips. 1 am higlily iiattered to find it agrees fo 

 ;iearly with yours. I am, &c. 



Remarks on the above hy the CGnduBor, 



The culture of turnips forming a m.aterjal branch of rural ceco> 

 nomy, the opinion of the Conductor may perhaps be expelled 

 by the readers of this work, now when the fubjcd: has *been fo 

 ably difcuffed by correfpondenti on each fide. The following 

 curibry remarks are therefore ofered. 



Turnips have been p;irtially cultivated in Britain for a century 

 paft ; but, fmce 1770, this root has gradually fprcad over every 

 quarter of the illand. Two obje<i>s aYe in view when turnips are 

 raifed ; firft, to clean the ground ; fecondly, to prepare winter 

 food for cattle and flieep. .Both objecSls are of great im.portance, 

 though undoubtedly the fn-fl claims the precedence ; for if the 

 ground is not fufficiently cleaned when carrying a crop of this 

 root, the whole of the after rotation is neccffarily injured. 



If it is admitted that the beil mctliod of cultivating turnips 

 IS the one that cleans the ground molt ciFedually, then v/e Ihould 

 think the queftion is determined in favour of drilling, at fuch in- 

 tervals as allows the horfe-hoe to be fuificiexitly ufed. By a horfe- 



hoC;, 



