2 9 



THE FORAGE AND FIBER CROPS IN AMERICA 



have been classified into several rather well defined groups. Thus 

 the cabbage tribe (B. oleracca L.) includes the ordinary cab- 

 bage, cauliflower, broccoli, kohlrabi, kale, and brussel sprouts; 

 while in separate species are placed rape (B. napus L.), ruta- 

 baga or Swedish turnip (B. campestris L.), and common turnip 

 (B. rapa L.). Turnips 'and rutabagas, like beets, consist of a 

 thickened stem and root. In the kohlrabi the stem forms a 

 turnip-like enlargement above ground, while in the cabbage the 

 nourishment is accumulated in the leaves. 



364. Description. Turnips and rutabagas vary in form sim- 

 ilar to mangel-wurzels, but in less marked 

 manner. They also vary in color of ex- 

 posed part of "root," which may be white, 

 yellow, green, bronze, purple or red, and 

 "greystones," the latter term being applied 

 when the upper part is mottled with trans- 

 verse green and purple streaks. 



The flesh is generally either white or 

 yellow. White-fleshed varieties are gen- 

 erally regarded as of lower feeding value, 

 softer and more liable to be injured by 

 the frost than the yellow-fleshed varieties, 

 but they make a more rapid growth. The 

 neck should be small, the crown single 

 and the shoulders convex. The root sys- 

 tem of turnips is mainly near the surface. 



365. Comparison of Turnips and Ruta- 

 bagas. Turnips grow more rapidly, but the rutabagas give 

 higher yields of dry matter and have better keeping qualities. 

 In a rather unsuccessful attempt to combine the keeping qual- 

 ities of the rutabaga with the more rapid growth of the turnip, 

 numerous crosses have been made to which has been given the 

 name of hybrid turnips. These may have the character of either 

 parent blended in a number of ways. 



Maule's Improved Purple- 

 top rutabaga 



