118 BEETLES. 



scarifying is enough ; and thus the supplies of 

 moisture which have gathered below the surface- 

 during the winter remain undisturbed ; whereas if the 

 ploughs are put in, the soil is turned up to a much 

 greater depth, and instead of a mellowed surface with 

 good moisture below, we part with the stores which,, 

 in a dry season, would have made all the difference of 

 life or death to the crop. The Turnip plant is of such 

 a succulent nature, that the point of supplying it with 

 enough moisture is one of the main things in all 

 methods of starting it. 



It is advised to let the land remain untouched for a 

 few days before drilling, with a view to the surface- 

 not being dried by exposure just before sowing ; and 

 the effect of what seems just the opposite treatment, — 

 namely, to sow at once, when partly rotted manure i& 

 l^loughed in, in spring, — is, for the same reason, to se- 

 cure the moisture. But whenever it may be necessary 

 to work the land, one great point is to secure such a 

 state of under soil and upper tilth as will push the 

 plant on; and by no means trust to a mere good tilth, 

 if it is gained, as is sometimes done, by turning the 

 land over in the sunshine and heat until we fairly see 

 the dust rising, and, as it has been well remarked, it 

 is as dry as if we were making hay. Turnip Fly 

 delights in heat and drought, and the Turnips in just 

 the opposite. 



Liberal seeding — 3 lbs. or more per acre — answers 

 well ; for if Fly comes there is a good chance of some 

 of the plants escaping, and if it does not the surplus 

 quantity may easily be removed. In either case, the 

 large number of plants helps towards a hearty start, 

 as the many small leaves prevent the moisture beneath 

 evaporating, as it \vould from bare earth, and thus 

 keep a damp air beneath the leaves. Good seed is 

 also very important, so that it may sprout at once, 

 and with vigour. 



To gain this hearty and rapid growth through the 

 time of the seed-leaves is one of the reasons of apply- 



