146 Swedish Turnips. [Part II. 



Avay ! Then might they hear without envy of the easy 

 and happy lives of American farmers ! 



239. A good sharp frost is the only complete doctor 

 for this complaint ; but, wide rows and ploughing will 

 do much, where the attack is made in line, as in ray 

 case. Sometimes, however, the enemy starts up, here 

 and there, all over the field ; and then you must plough 

 the whole field, or be content with turnips u-ithout 

 greens, and with a diminished crop of turnips into the 

 Jbargain. Mr. Byrd told me, that the caterpillars did 

 not attack the part of the field tvhich he ploughed after 

 the 2lst of September with nearly so much fury as they 

 attacked the rest of the field ! To be sure ; for, the 

 turnip leaves there, having received fresh vigour from 

 the ploughing, were of a taste more acrid; and, yon 

 always see, that insects and reptiles, that feed on leaves 

 and bark, choose the most sickly or feeble plants to 

 begin upon, because the juices in them are sweeter. 

 So that here is another reason, and not a weak one, 

 for deep and late ploughing. 



240. I sliall speak again of Swedish turnips when I 

 come to treat of hogs ; but, I will here add a few re- 

 marks on the subject oi' prcsemhig the roots. In para- 

 graph 106, I described the manner in which I stacked 

 my turnips last yeai-. That did very well. But, I will 

 not, this year, make any hole in the ground, I will 

 pile up about thirty bushels upon the level ground, in 

 a pyramidical form, and then, to keep the earth from 

 running amongst them, put over a little straw, or leaves 

 of trees, and about four or five inches of earth over the 

 whole. For, mind, the object is not to prevent freez- 

 ing. The turnips will freeze as hard as stones. But, 

 so that they do not see the sun or the light, till they are 

 thawed, it is no matter. This is the case even with 

 apples. I preserved white turnips this way last year. 

 Keep the light out, and all will be safe with every root 

 that 1 know any thing of, except that miserable thing, 

 the potatoe, which, consisting of earth, of a small por- 

 tion of flour, and of water unmixed with sugar, will 

 freeze to perdition, if it freeze at all. Mind, it is no 

 matter to the animals^ whether the Swedish turnip, the 



