262 SWEDISH TURNIPS. [PART II. 



England could treat the Borough-villains and 

 their swarms in the same way ! 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 my case. Sometimes, how 

 ever, the enemy starts up, here and there, all 

 over the field; and then you must plough the 

 whole field, or be content with turnips without 

 greens, and with a diminished crop of turnips 

 into the bargain. Mr. BYRD told me, that the 

 caterpillars did not attack the part of the field 

 which he ploughed after the 21s/ 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, 

 you 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 shall speak again of Swedish turnips 

 when I come to treat of hogs; but, I will her$ 

 add a few remarks on the subject of preserving 

 the roots. In paragraph 106, I described the 



