178 



QUERIES AND ANSWERS. 



Turnips. 



Nitrogenous 

 Maniires. 



weeds found among the crops of the ordinary farmer of the South Atlan- 

 tic States ? 



A. The writer cannot undertake to name all or even the most promi- 

 nent, for those particularly noticeable in one section are less so in another, 

 but the following list alphabetically arranged will certainly include 

 many of the most troublesome : 



Amaranthus or Pigwig. 



Bone-set or Indian Sage. 



Bramble or Blackberry. 



Burdock. 



Buttercup or Crowfoot. 



Chickweed or Mouse Ear. 



Cheat or Chess. 



Cockle Burr or Clot Burr. 



Corn Cockle or Agrostemina. 



Catnip or Catmint. 



Daisy or "White Weed. 



Dock or Rumex. 



Dodder or Flax Vine. 



Dandelion or Taraxacum. 



Garlic. 



Lamb's Quarter or Goosefoot. 



Milk Weed or Silk Weed. 



Mullein or Velvet Plant. 



Night Shade or Bitter Sweet. 



Plantain or Buck Horn. 



Purslane or Pussley. 



Rag Weed or Bitter Weed, 



Sorrel or Oseille. 



Smart Weed or Knot Weed. 



Shepherd's Purse. 



Stramonium or Jimson Weed. 



Thistle. 



Wild Carrot. 



Wild Mustard or Charlock. 



Wild Radish. 



Indian Mallow or Abutilon. 



989. Why is it that you recommend the growing of turnips as a restora- 

 tive crop ? 



A. Because they can only be successfully grown after a good manuring, 

 and after proper preparation of the land, the two operations being very 

 obviously in the direction of high farming, the manure applied, generally 

 barnyard manure, is only partially used by the turnip, a large proportion 

 being available to following crops. The turnip tops all go back on the 

 land either directly or as manure, and the roots, if used in the stable in 

 fattening stock, are to a large extent voided by the animals, this ex- 

 crement containing quite 70 per cent, of the nitrogen of the crop. Milch 

 cows retain a larger proportion of the nitrogen than beef cattle. The 

 turnip leaves which are returned, contain a large proportion of nitrogen 

 also, and are worth double their cost. Thus the thorough preparation of 

 the land, the manuring for the crop, the large yield of leaves from the 

 crop, cattle excrement returned, all go to bring up the land to a high 

 level of fertility and general condition. Consequently on farms where 

 turnips are largely grown for cattle food, the general character of the soil 

 is annually improved. 



990. Q. What is the effect of large applications to cattle root crops of 

 nitrogenous manures, as rich barnyard manure, nitrate of soda and cot- 

 ton seed cake ? 



A. They add very largely to the gross return, the tons harvested, but 

 the percentage of sugar, the fattening ingredient in the roots, is not so 

 high as in a smaller crop grown from less nitrogen. In other words. 



