TURF 



882 



TURNIPS 



T. Cla'rkei (Clark's). 4. Dull reddish-purple. Sikkim. 1904. 

 gra'ndis (grand). 2-3. Red-brown, red-purple ; 



style white. Perak. 1902. 

 macrosti' gma (large-stigma), ij. Purple. Winter. 



Himalaya. 1872. 



nu' tans (nodding). 2. Lurid purple. March. Himalaya. 

 perake'nsis (Perakian). Purple ; stigma white. 



Singapore. 1900. 

 squa'lida (dirty). 2. Dusky violet. March. Am- 



boyna. 1820. 



TURF may be obtained either by sowing grass seeds, 

 or laying turf obtained from a common or down : if the 

 latter mode can be adopted it is the best, as the turf is 

 obtained at once, and is more regular than can be ob- 

 tained under the best circumstances from seed. All the 

 preparation of the soil required is to dig it level a spade 

 deep, provided the subsoil is open, otherwise to have a 

 good drainage effected (see DRAINING) ; to have all large 

 stones removed from the surface, and to have it brought 

 to a perfect level by repeated rollings, and filling up the 

 hollows when necessary, as indicated by the level. The 

 surface being then loosened by raking is ready for the 

 seed or turf. 



By Seed. See GRASS. 



By Turf. The season for laying turf is any time from 

 September till April or May, though it will grow at 

 almost any time of the year, even if there is occasion to 

 lay it in summer, and dry weather succeed ; for although 

 it will open at the joints, and turn brown, as if dead, 

 yet after the first rain it will close again, and resume its 

 verdure. The turf for this use is cut with an iron instru- 

 ment called a turfing iron, observing to cut the pieces 

 all an equal width, length, and thickness the proper 

 size is a foot wide, a yard long, and about an inch thick ; 

 they should be first marked by line the proper width, 

 length, and depth, with a racer or rutter ; racing them 

 first longwise a foot wide, then across in yard lengths ; 

 then proceed to cut them up, having particular regard 

 to cut them level, and equal in thickness, otherwise it 

 will be impossible to lay them level. As you cut, a 

 man or boy should roll each turf up close and tight, the 

 grass side inwards, and pile them up by tens, especially 

 if they are cut by the hundred. If they are cut by the 

 hundred, the price is from sixpence to a shilling, accord- 

 ing to the nature of the soil, whether soft and easy to 

 cut, or hard, or stony. A man will cut from three to 

 five, six, or seven hundred in a day, or more, if very soft, 

 easy- cutting turf, and having a person to race them out 

 and roll them up, turf and turf, as they are cut. They 

 are to be laid regularly, turf and turf, unrolling them as 

 you lay them, joining them up quite close, edge to edge, 

 making good all deficiency of broken parts as you go 

 on ; and, as soon as laid, it should be well beaten with 

 broad, heavy, wooden beaters, made of fiat pieces of 

 elm or oak plank, 2 inches thick, 15 or 18 inches long, 

 and a foot broad, having a handle fixed slanting in the 

 middle of the upper side ; and with these beat the grass 

 regularly all over, and then roll it well with a heavy 

 roller, observing that the beating and rolling should be 

 repeated in moist weather. If very dry, hot weather 

 succeeds, so as to occasion the turf to shrink and open 

 at the joints, a good watering will be of much advantage. 



By Inoculation. If turf is scarce, cut turves into 

 pieces, about 3 inches square, and plant these, green side 

 up, pretty thickly over the space intended for the lawn. 

 Beat them down into the soil, and water freely ; roll 

 frequently, and water also in dry weather. The turf 

 will soon be as close, and the sward as perfect, as if the 

 ground had been entirely turved. 



TURF ASHES. See ASHES. 



These, which are the basis of charred turf, now be- 

 coming so usual a manure, are, according to M. Sprengel, 

 thus constituted : 



Silica 93-io 



Alumina 1.35 



Oxide of iron 1.73 



manganese 0.32 



Lime 0.62 



Magnesia 0.33 



Potash, combined with sulphuric acid . . 0.38 



Common salt 0.08 



Sulphuric acid, combined with potash and lime 1.70 

 Phosphoric acid, combined with lime and 

 magnesia 0.39 



TURF TOOLS are the Racer or Rutter, for cutting the 

 edges of turf after it has been laid, and for cutting the 

 outlines of the turves when first obtained. It is a thin, 

 sharp-edged implement, somewhat resembling a cheese- 

 cutter, fixed to a handle about 4 feet long. 



The Turfing Iron is for raising or peeling off the 

 turves from the soil. It has an arrow-headed, fiat blade, 

 with an angular handle. 



A Turf or Daisy Rake consists of a piece of thin plate 

 iron cut into teeth, with two slips of ash, or other tough 

 wood, between which it is firmly riveted to form a back, 

 and keep it from bending. When put together, the back 

 is i J inch thick. The wood is bevelled half an inch above 

 the interstices of the teeth, at which point the iron is 

 slightly bent longitudinally, to admit the thickness of 

 wood underneath, and give a proper inclination to the 

 handle. The instrument serves both as a grass rake and 

 a daisy rake, and has the advantage over the daisy rakes 

 in common use of being easier cleaned, from the wideness 

 of the interstices between the teeth. 



The Turf-beater or Beetle, as above described, is a 

 flat, heavy piece of wood, with a handle fixed on the 

 back of it at an angle, so that the operator can raise it 

 with the handle, and bring it down flat upon the grass, 

 with a thud, to make it firm. Many modern turf layers 

 object to the use of the Beater, as injurious to the grass. 



TURGO'SEA. (From turgeo, to be swollen, or tumid ; 

 in allusion to the succulent character of the plants. 

 Nat. ord. Crassulacea?. Now referred to Crassula.) 



T. aloi'des (Aloe-like). See CRASSULA ALOIDES. 



capite'lla (little- head). See CRASSULA CAPITELLA. 



lingucefo'lia (tongue-leaved). See CRASSULA LINGUAE- 

 FOLIA. 



obova'ta (obovate). See CRASSULA OBOVATA. 



,, pertu'sa (perforated). See CRASSULA PERTUSULA. 



thyrsifto'ra (thyrse-fiowered). See CRASSULA THYRSI- 

 FLORA. 



tomento'sa (felted). See CRASSULA TOMENTOSA. 



turri'ta (turreted). See CRASSULA TURRITA. 



TU'RNERA. (Named after Dr. W. Turner, author of 

 the first English herbal. Nat. ord. Turnerads [Tur- 

 neracese]. Linn. $-Pentandria, ^-Trigynia.) 



All yellow-flowered. Annuals and biennials, by seeds 

 in a hotbed in spring, and plants bloomed in a green- 

 house ; shrubs, by seeds, and also by cuttings in sand, 

 under a bell-glass, in spring and summer ; sandy loam, 

 fibrous peat, and a little charcoal. Winter temp., 50 

 to 60 ; summer, 60 to 85. 



GREENHOUSE ANNUALS. 



T. angustifo'lia (narrow-leaved). See T. ULMIFOLIA. 

 ,, auranti'aca (orange). Orange. Guiana. 

 cistoi'des (Cistus-like). See PIRIQUETA VILLOSA. 

 e'legans (elegant). See T. ULMIFOLIA ELEGANS. 



, guiane'nsis (Guianan). i. June. Guiana. 1823. 



, hi'rta (harry), i. June. Brazil. 1818. 



, pu'mila (dwarf). See T. PUMILEA. 



, Pumi'lea (Pumilea). $. August. Trop. Amer. 



, racemo'sa (racemed). See PIRIQUETA RACEMOSA. 



, ulmifo'lia (elm-leaved). 3. July. Jamaica. 1733. 



Biennial. 

 e'legans (elegant). 



STOVE EVERGREENS. 



T. brasilie'nsis (Brazilian), i. June. Brazil. 1810. 

 ,, cuneifo'rmis (wedge-formed). See T. ULMIFOLIA. 

 rupe'stris (rock). 2. July. Guiana. 1824. 

 trionifto'ra (Trionum-flowered). See T. ULMIFOLIA. 



TURNIPS. Bra'ssica Ra'pa. 



Varieties. For the first sowings: Early White Dutch, 

 Early Stone. 



For the spring sowings : Common Round White, Large 

 Round White, Large Green- topped, Large Red- topped, 

 Yellow Dutch, Tankard, French, Small Round French, 

 Swedish, Moscow, or Narva, Snowball, Orange Jelly, 

 and Garden Swede. 



Sowing may commence at the end of February, a small 

 portion on a warm border, and some in a moderate hot- 

 bed of the first two varieties mentioned. These will be 

 fit for use during April. The sowing on a border to be 

 repeated in the beginning of March, and these will pro- 

 duce throughout May. 



