Cultivation of Arable Land. Turnips Application of Crdps of. 155 



fermining the particular ftate in which thefe roots afford the greateft propor 

 tion of nourishment to the animals that feed upon them ? it would feem, from 

 their containing a much larger proportion of nutritious faccharine juicy matter 

 while in their frem or green ftate before being taken from the ground, than 

 when taken from the land and preferved by being packed up in fheds or other 

 places,* to be a more economical and beneficial practice, efpecially where the 

 nature and fituation of the ground and the ftate of the feafon will admit of it, as 

 on the dry foils in moft of the fouthern diftricts, to confame them under the 

 former than the latter crrcumftances ; but in the more cold expofed fituations-,. 

 as in many diftricts in the northern parts of the kingdom, and wherever the 

 lands are much inclined to rnoifture, as the roots may be greatly injured by the 

 frofts&amp;gt; and the animals receive much injury from the coldnefs of fuch places, 

 while feeding on them, as well as the lands be much damaged by their treading, 

 it may be better to eat them under the latter. There are like wife other fitua- 

 tions in which it may be particularly neceffary, as well as advantageous, to 

 make ufe of turnips after being drawn and removed from the land to places 

 of fecurity ; as thofe where it is difficult or inconvenient to raife other forts of 

 green cattle food for winter and fpring ufe. But wherever crops of this kind 

 are taken from the ground to be confumed by animals in other places, as from 

 their large growth and luxuriant nature they muft tend greatly to exhauft and 

 draw away its fertility,-)- it will constantly be neceflary to return an equivalent 

 in manure, otherwife the injury fuftained in this way may more than equal 

 the advantages of the turnip crops. The tap-roots of the turnips fhould, like- 

 wife, be broken off and left on the land, that neither foil nor manure may be 

 carried away by adhering to them.J 



Where the lands are fufficiently dry, in a high ftate of fertility, and con 

 ducted under a judicious fyftem of hufbandry, it may often, however, be an 

 advantageous and economical practice to have a partial recourfe to both the 

 methods j by having one part of the crop drawn and removed to be eaten in 

 fome convenient fituation off the land, according to the particular circum- 

 ftances of the cafe, and the other confumed in the field where they grow : as by 

 fuch means a much larger quantity of ground may be benefited and improved,, 

 without injury being done to the crops that may be afterwards cultivated on 



* This is evident from their lofing their firmnefs, and becoming foft, wrinkled, and flabby, andi 

 4imini(hing considerably in weight. 



t Corrected Agricultural Report of the North Riding of Yorkfhire, p. 148. 

 $ Corrected Agricultural Report of Mid dlefex. 



X 2 



