788 PRACTICE OF AGRICULTURE. p^Rx III. 



that goes before the sowing apparatus, and levels the pointed tops of the ridgelets, and an- 

 other that follows for the purpose of compressing the soil and covering the seed. From the 

 time the dung is carted to the ground, until the seed is deposited, the several operations 

 should go on simultaneously ; the dung is never allowed to lie uncovered to be dried by 

 the sun and wind ; and the new ridgelets are sown as soon as formed, that the seed may 

 find moisture to accelerate its vegetation. (Supp. Encyc. Brit. art. Agr. ) 



4888. Manure may be considered as essential to turnips. Turnip-land, Brown ob- 

 serves, cannot be made too rich, for, in fact, the weight of the crop depends in a great 

 measure Tipon its condition in this respect. Manure is sometimes applied to the crop 

 which immediately precedes the turnips ; but, to answer well in this way, the land must 

 naturally be of an excellent quality. In other cases, where the land is in good order, 

 it is laid on the stubble previous to the first ploughing. But generally the dung is laid 

 on immediately before the seed is sown ; the ground is formed into drills or ridges, and 

 the manure spread in the intervals between them ; the drills are then split by the plough, 

 the earth on each side covers the dung, forms a drill where the interval formerly was, 

 and furnishes a bed for the seed. These operations are now so well understood, that it 

 is unnecessary to describe them more particularly. Farm-yard manure is the kind gene- 

 rally applied : it should be well rotted, and not less than twelve or fifteen tons allowed 

 to each acre. 



4889. The time of sowing the several varieties is somewhat diflTerent ; the Swedish 

 should be put in the earliest, and then the yellow, both of them in the month of May. 

 But as these kinds are much less extensively cultivated than the globe, the month of 

 June is the principal seed time ; and after the first week of July a full crop is not to be 

 expected in the northern parts of the island. But in the southern counties turnips are 

 frequently sown in August after pease, wheat, or tares. The crop, however, is always 

 light and only fit to be eaten down by sheep in spring, or to send their tops to market 

 as greens. After a crop of hotspur pease sold green for the London market, the 

 land is well cleared with the horse-hoe, and upon once ploughing, turnips are sown ; 

 and just before the young plants are observed to be cutting the ground, the field receives 

 a light top-dressing of soot-ashes, or the most portable manure that can be conveniently 

 procured. This dressing, upon frequent trial, has been found to have a very good effect 

 in preserving the infant turnip plant from the depredations of the fly. 



4890. The preparation of turniji-seed for sowing, by steeping in the drainings of dung- 

 hills and other similar matters, has been recommended as a likely mode to prevent the fly ; 

 but it is not found to have this effect, and is never followed. Sometimes the following 

 mode of preparation is adopted; half new and half old seed are mixed together; then 

 half is taken and steeped in water for three or four hours ; afterwards both steeped and 

 unsteeped seed are mixed and immediately sown. The object of this preparation is to 

 obtain four different brairds or risings of the seed, which is supposed to give four chances 

 of escaping the fly which attacks the infant plants, instead of one. Another mode is to 

 join to the above radish-seed, new and old, steeped in the above manner, it being found 

 that the fly prefers the radish to the turnip. The most common precaution, however, as 

 to the fly, is to sow thick, or to mix the seed with soot, lime, or ashes. 



4891. The quantity of seed is usually from two to three pounds per acre. 



4892. The mode of sowing in all the best cultivated districts is on raised drills. Not 

 only the broad-cast, but even rows on a flat surface are rejected by all who understand 

 the culture of the turnip. This plant never does any good in the field till its roots reach 

 the dung ; and therefore the only mode to ensure a heavy crop, is to put the dung im- 

 mediately beneath the row. This is only to be done by the ridgelet, or raised drill 

 system, as already explained in treating of preparing the soil. The drill used may be 

 either the hand-drill, which sows one row at a time, and is pushed along by a woman, or 

 by the horse-drill, which sows two rows. The latter from its weight and breadth performs 

 the work with greater accuracy, and much more effectually than can be done by any 

 hand machine. So much has been written to prove the disadvantages of sowing broad- 

 cast, and the benefits of the drill system, that the subject may be considered as settled in 

 favor of the latter, even in the case of midsummer sowing after early pease gathered 

 green. 



4893. The after culture may, in some cases, require to commence with watering by 

 Young's excellent machine (2564.), though this has by no means found its way among 

 farmers, and is only likely to be occasionally necessary. Sonne commence by strewing 

 soot or lime along the row to annoy the fly, or sharp sand, ashes, or barley awns, to ward 

 off the slug. In general, however, these practices are confined to gardens or cultivators 

 on a very small scale, and like many others they are much oftener talked of than put in 

 practice. The turnip farmer, as soon as the plants have put forth the rough leaf, or sooner 

 if annual weeds have got the start of them, runs a horse-hoe between the ridgelets and 

 cuts up the weeds on each side, almost close to the rows of the turnip plants, clearing out 

 the bpttom of the interval at the same time. The hand-hoers are always set to work as 



