CHAPTER XXXIV. 

 TURNIPS. 



TURNIP. Brassica napus. 



French, navet ; German, herbst-riibe ; Dutch, raap ; Danish, roe ; Italian, 

 navone ; Spanish and Portuguese, nabo. 

 KOHL-RABI. Brassica caulo-rapa. 



French, choux-raves ; German, knollkohl ; Flemish, raaphool ; Italian, 

 cavolo-rapa. 



RUTABAGA. Idem. 



French, chouxnavets ; German, kohlrube ; Dutch, koolraapen onder den 

 grond; Italian, cavolo navone. 



These members of the cabbage family are somewhat arbitrarily 

 classed as turnips for convenience and in accordance with local 

 popular usage. Kohl-rabi has swollen stem, clearly above ground; 

 rutabaga has a swollen root partly above ground, partly below ; the 

 turnip proper is another species of brassica, which has a swollen 

 root and a manner of growth like rutabaga. In California all these 

 vegetables take a much lower rank in popularity and usefulness 

 than the cabbage group of the same genus discussed in Chapter 

 XVI. Judged as root crops they are inferior in use and esteem to 

 the other esculent roots already considered. They have no local 

 standing whatever for stock purposes, for two reasons at least : 

 they do not endure well our summer heat and drought, but become 

 a prey to fungus and un thrift; they will not rest and start again 

 for larger root-expansion, as do the beet and carrot. Such being 

 their weakness and perversity, the stock feeder abandons them, 

 which he can readily afford to do in view of the fact that he has 

 many other more serviceable crops. He can have any quantity of 

 immense beets and carrots which are making their re-enlargement 

 from the previous spring sowing, to feed in the winter ; he can have 

 for late summer use, corn and squashes, which grow riotously in 

 summer heat which distresses the turnip. He does well enough 

 without the turnip, in view of its behavior and his own supplies 

 from other sources. 



At one time, however, the turnip was coming widely into fa- 

 vor in the dairy region of Humboldt because it developed more 

 rapidly from spring sowing and would be ready for feeding in July 

 and August, while beets and carrots came considerably later. But 

 the creameries shut down on turnip-milk because of bad flavors. 

 This ruling largely closed the career of the turnip although the 

 cool, moist air of Humboldt county's summer is greatly to its liking. 



The vegetables, then, which we group in this chapter, must be 

 estimated alone upon their table value, and here, too, they are af- 

 flicted by an ill-indisposition. They are not good keepers in this 

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