ROOT CROPS. 171 



guano produced no perceptible effect at all — the crop being 

 very light. 



In manuring turnips it is particularly desirable to neutralize 

 as far as possible the vegetable acids in the soil. Muck should 

 never be applied to them until it has been corrected by the 

 action of frost and heat, or by the use of lime. It will be found 

 that the smoothest and best shaped turnips grow on land in 

 which the mineral elements preponderate. Wherever these 

 elements are deficient, as is often the case in soils where clay or 

 muck abounds, the use of lime will be found beneficial, not only 

 as a neutralizer of the acids, but as a solvent of the vegetable 

 matter contained in them. It is for this reason that bones, 

 super-phosphate of lime, ashes, and Mexican guano, produce so 

 good an effect upon the crop. Of the various fertilizers the 

 intelligent farmer must select that which is the most economi- 

 cal in his own locality, with the assurance that land which is 

 adapted to turnips is also adapted to this class of manures. 

 And he may also be assured that no kind or quantity of manure 

 will induce turnips to grow in land chilled by stagnant water, 

 to never so slight a degree. 



We have incidentally referred to the sowing of the seed, in 

 another portion of this report. It will be seen that only one 

 method can be adopted, by those who select the land and apply 

 the manure according to our directions. It would be difficult 

 to furrow and ridge for deep drill husbandry, a piece of newly- 

 ploughed sod-land, although it maybe done, as we shall see 

 hereafter ; and we had better resort, therefore, to the ordinary 

 method of sowing on a flat surface with the common seed-sower. 

 We are satisfied that there is no method so economical as this, 

 and none which will produce a smoother and more substantial 

 root. The old system introduced into the country by Cobbett, 

 involved the necessity of a large amount of labor, and that 

 troublesome application of manure, which renders the cultiva- 

 tion of the mangel so expensive. There is no doubt that Cob- 

 bett's system produced large crops. So will the system which 

 we recommend, if properly applied. 



The following abstract of Cobbett's method is contained in 

 an address delivered by Ool. Pickering before the Essex Agri- 

 cultural Society in 1820 ; and will be read with interest by 

 every Essex County farmer at the present day : 



