168 Cultivation of Arable Land. Swedijh Turnip Application of Crops of. 



food, for the difficult and diftrefling period when turnips or other forts of food be 

 come fcarce, ufelefs, or exhaufted, and thegrafs is not ready. Every cultivator, 

 who has ground fuitable for it, ought therefore to have a quantity of this fort of crop 

 proportioned to that of his live ftock, to bring to his affiftance the latter end of 

 March and in April, or perhaps later. 



Neat cattle are faid to fatten confiderably fafter upon this root than that of the 

 common turnip : and when given to milch cows, it has not it is faid the effccl: of in 

 juring the flavour of the butter fo much, but communicates to it a fine yellow 

 colour.* It has alfo the property of rendering the milk more rich. 



Sheep arc found to be extremely fond of feeding upon it; but its hardnefs 

 renders it more difficult of being eaten. And for hogs it is faid to be equal to 

 potatoes.f In the keeping of labouring horfes it is likewife averted to be of 

 the greateft utility, rendering lefs oats neceflary, and not proving of fo laxative 

 a nature as mod other roots. The method of applying it in this intention is, 

 after cutting off the tap-roots, to have the reft of the bulb cut or chopped, being 

 firft well warned, into rather large pieces, by means of a fharp hoe acling in a 

 perpendicular manner, a fuitable quantity of the roots being put into a fort of 

 high tub contrived for the purpofe. More than are neceffary for the confump- 

 tion of the day fhould not be cut at a time, as they are liable to be much in 

 jured by becoming dry. 



But though the ruta laga appears to be a root of confiderable utility, efpe- 

 ciaily for the more northern diftricts, where the common turnip muft frequently 

 fail from the feverity of the winters, it has been objected to as being injurious 

 to the teeth of fheep from its great hardnefs, as difficult of being raifed from 

 the ground on account of the number of its roots or fangs, and as hurtful to the 

 land from its being continued upon it to fo late a period : but where it is culti 

 vated and managed in the manner that has been mentioned above, there will be 

 little danger to be apprehended from the firft ; and in taking up the roots, where 

 the foil has been in a proper condition for the crop, there is by no means that diffi 

 culty or trouble that has been fuppofed : and the hurtful effects of their remaining 

 upon the land to fo late a period, and thereby preventing it from being feafon- 

 ably prepared for other crops, may beeafily obviated by drawing and flacking, 

 or by arranging the roots clofe to each other in an upright manner in any con 

 venient fituation, as inthefe ways they will not fuftain any injury from the fe-* 



* C &amp;gt;fe, in Bath Papers, vol. IX. 



f Cor reded Report of tJe North Riding of Yorkshire. 



