32^ E X P E R r M E N T S O N Part IIL 



"' hand, in the common method, and the other cultivated by the 

 "hoeing plough; and when the roots were fully grown, his lord- 

 *'''^ fhip had an equal quantity of land, which had been fown in diffc- 

 " rent methods, meafured, and the roots drawn up and weighed ; 

 " and thofe roots which had been cultivated by the plough, were fo 

 " much larger than the other, that the crop^of one acre weighed a 

 " ton and a half more than that of an acre in the other hufl)andry. 



" When the turneps are fown in drills, they will require to be 

 " hoed by hand, to feperate and cut out the plants, where they are 

 *' too near together in the rows; as alfo to cut up the weeds between 

 ** the plants, where the plough cannot reach them. If this is care- 

 " fully performed, the plowing o'i the intervals will encourage the 

 *' growth of the roots, by thus ftirring of the ground, and make it 

 " much better prepared for the crop of barley, or whatever elfe is 

 ** fov/n the following fpring. This method of culture may be fup- 

 " pofed to be more expenfive than that commonly pradliied, by thofe 

 " unacquainted with it: but thofe who have made trials of both, 

 " find the horfe-hoeing to be much the chieapeft, and by far the 

 " beft : for the country people who are employed in hand-hoeing 

 " of turneps, are very apt to hurry over their work, fo that half the 

 ** weeds are left growing, and the plants are feldom fingled out fo 

 ** well as they fhould be; nor are they curious enough to diftingui(h 

 ** the charlock (which is one of the moft common weeds in arable 

 " land) from the turneps*; fo that about the middle of September, 

 " it is very common to fee the fields of turneps full of the yellow 

 " flowers of the charlock. Now, in the horfe-hoeing, all the weeds 

 " in the intervals will be entirely defiroyed ; fo that if a few plants in 

 *' the rows of turneps (hould be overlooked, they may be eafily 

 " drawn when they appear vifible; and by this method the land 

 *' will be fooner and better cleared from weeds. 



" The greateft evil which attends a crop of turneps, is that of 

 " their being deftroyed by the fly, which ufually happens foon after 

 " the plants come above ground, or while they are in the feed leaf; 

 " for after they have put out their rough leaves pretty ftrong, they 

 ** will be paft this danger. This is always in dry weather: fo that 

 "if there happens rain when the turneps come up, they will grow 

 " fo fail as to be in a few days out of danger of the fly; and it 

 " hath been found, that thofe which have been fov/n in drills, have 



* See charlock in the article Weeds, p. 105. 



efcaped 



