CHAPTER VI. 



SWEDISH TURNIPS. 



225. UPON this subject I have no great deal to add to what was- 

 said in Part I. Chap. II. There are a few things, however, that 

 I omitted to mention, which I will mention here. 



226. I sow my seed by hand. All machinery is imperfect for 

 this purpose. The wheel of the drill meets with a sudden check ; 

 it jumps ; the holes are stopped ; a clogging or an improper 

 impelling takes place ; a gap is produced, and it can never be put 

 to rights ; and, after all, the sowing upon four feet ridges is very 

 nearly as quickly performed by hand. I make the drills, or 

 channels, to sow the seed in by means of a light roller, which is 

 drawn by a horse, which rolls two ridges at a time, and which 

 has two markers following the roller, making a drill upon the top 

 of each ridge. This saves time ; but, if the hand do the whole, 

 a man will draw the drills, sow the seed, and cover an acre in a day 

 with ease. 



227. The only mischief in this case, is that of sowing too thick : 

 and this arises from the seed being so nearly of the colour of the 

 earth. To guard against this evil, I this year adopted a method 

 which succeeded perfectly. I wetted the seed with water a little, 

 I then put some whitening to it, and by rubbing them well together, 

 the seed became white instead of brown : so that the man when 

 sowing, could see what he was about. 



228. In my directions for transplanting turnips I omitted to 

 mention one very important thing ; the care to be taken not to 

 bury the heart of the plant. I observed how necessary it was to 

 fix the plant firmly in the ground : and, as the planter is strictly 

 charged to do this, he is apt to pay little attention to the means 

 by which the object is accomplished. The thing is done easily 

 enough, if you cram the butts of the leaves down below the surface. 

 But, this brings the earth, with the first rain at least, over the 

 heart of the plant ; and then it will never grow at all : it will just 

 live : but will never increase in size one single jot. Care, there 

 fore, must be taken of this. The fixing is to be effected by the 

 stick being applied to the point of the root ; as mentioned in 

 paragraph 85. Not to fix the plant is a great fault ; but to bury 

 the heart is a much greater ; for, if this be done, the plant is sure 

 to die. 



