Cultural Directions. 261 



TURNIPS. 



Brassica napa (campestris). German, Steckrube, Kohlrube ; 

 French, Navet ; Spanish, Nabo. The market gardener has but 

 little use and room for turnips, except to a limited extent for the 

 early flat varieties, which are grown and marketed in the same 

 manner as early beets. The ground is made very rich by applica- 

 tions of thoroughly-rotted compost, supplemented, if convenient, 

 with some good, plain superphosphate strewn in the drills, and 

 seed sown as early in spring as the soil can be got *in readi- 

 ness, in drills 15 inches apart, using seed at the rate of two 

 pounds per acre, and firming the soil in the often recommended 

 manner. 



CULTIVATION, ETC. Use the wheel-hoe as needed, and thin 

 the plants, when danger from flea beetle injury is past, to 2 or 3 

 inches. When the roots are about 2 inches in diameter, pull, 

 trim, wash and bunch for market. 



TURNIPS AS FARM CROP. These turnips are of still greater 

 importance as a fall crop for the farm. Sometimes they find 



ready sale at very acceptable prices for 

 table use, during late autumn and win- 

 ter, but usually the swedes or rutabagas, 



I nproved Purple Top Swede. Extra Early Milan. 



with their richer flavor, are grown for this purpose in preference 

 to the quicker-growing flat turnips. 



As a crop for stock feeding this vegetable is not yet appre- 

 ciated to its full value by the average farmer. I have not yet 

 seen the farm where suitable pieces of land are not annually 

 available for turnip growing in the latter part of the season, 

 and after the main crop is removed- An early potato field, 

 an old strawberry patch, a pasture lot, etc., after the crop 

 is harvested in July or August, may yet produce many hundreds 

 of bushels of flat turnips (or of rutabagas either, if early enough) 

 per acre the same season, with very little labor and trouble. 

 Being easily wintered, they will materially aid in carrying stock 

 through the winter in good condition, and with a saving of grain. 



