Cultivation ejf Arable Land Turnips. Methods of fowing of. Drilling. 1 39 



For the purpofe of putting in the feed, drill machines of both the barrow and 

 other kinds are employed ; but thofe that are attached to the plough or roller, 

 and of courfe perform the different operations of ploughing and fowing at the 

 fame time, are, perhaps, in general to be recommended. Great attention is, 

 however, conftantly neceffary, to fee that the feed be regularly difperfed and de~ 

 polited in the foil ; as, from the fmallncfs of the perforations in the revolving 

 cylinders of moft of fuch machines, the feeds are liable to be obftructed, and the 

 regularity of the fowing thereby prevented. 



But where the drills are formed upon the level furface without being raifed, 

 which is the practice in fome diftricts, and efpecially when made at narrow 

 diftances, as twelve or thirteen inches, the larger fort of drill machines, which 

 fow a number of rows at a time, may be had recourfe to with advantage, as 

 being more expeditious.* 



In whatever manner the turnip feed may be put into the ground, experience 

 has (hewn it to be of much importance to have it depofited in the foil in fuch a 

 way and under fuch circumftances, as that its germination and early growth 

 may be as expeditious as poflible, as upon this the fuccefs of the crop in a great 

 meafure probably depends, as has been already mown. 



It has been maintained by fome, that the feed, in order to fecure thefe effects 

 in the mod certain manner, mould be placed in the foil to the depth of three or 

 more inches : and they have contended, that the fuperiority of the drill method 

 partly arifes from the feed being depofited to a greater depth, and growing more 

 rapidly in confequence of having more moifture, fo as to become fooner out of 

 danger from the fly or other infects ;-f while others, from the circumftances that 

 have been noticed above, think that it mould be covered only in a light manner. J 



As it has been already fhewn that air is neceffary as well as moifture to the 

 vegetation of feeds when placed in the ground, it would feem probable that the 

 quick vegetation of fuch crops may be the moft effectually fecured by only 

 putting them in to a middling depth, and according to the particular nature of 

 the land and ftate of the feafon as from an inch and an half to two or more 

 inches, as the foil or feafon may be inclined to be dry or the contrary. In this, 

 way, the inconveniences arifing from the feed being too much exficcated by its 

 expofure near the furface, and from the want of the action of the air on account 

 of its too great depth, may be equally obviated. But as crops of this fort are 



* Se&ion on Implements. 



t Extcr, in Tranfaftions of Society of Arts, vol. XVI. p. 191 . 

 J Corre&ed Report of th$ North Riding of Yorkfhire. Note. 



T2 



