[83] 



too wide, eighteen inches being amply sufficient. He sowed 

 at the rates of two pounds of seed per acre, and when the 

 turnip leaves were about as large as a half dollar he thinned 

 out to six inches in the furrow. The season was propitious, 

 and the turnips crowded each other in the rows. The crop 

 was not measured, unfortunately, but it was astonishing 

 fully one thousand bushels to the acre. To sow them prop- 

 erly, plow and harrow the land until it is in a fine state of 

 tilth, then harrow and roll until it is perfectly level. After 

 this, with a seed drill, sow at the rates of two pounds of 

 seed to the acre, about fifteen or eighteen inches apart. 

 Sow over them, just as they come out of the ground, one 

 and a half bushels of plaster of paris, or about ten bushels 

 of slacked lime. This will stimulate the plant and protect 

 it from the insects that prove so destructive to young tur- 

 nips. When they have formed three or four leaves, not 

 later, thin with the hoe and hand to six or eight inches, 

 leaving a single turnip to the place. Plow once thoroughly 

 with a small bull-tongue plow, and the work for the crop is 

 finished. Five hundred bushels is a small crop, and if the 

 land is good it will oftener yield one thousand bushels. 



The next question is, what kind of turnip is best suited 

 for sheep? This is a question that will have to be decided 

 by each one, based upon his ow r n or the experience of his 

 neighbors. Many prefer the yellow Aberdeen, as it is a 

 large growing turnip, and yields heavily. If this is selected 

 it must be sown nearly a month earlier than the other sorts. 

 About the 1st of July is the proper time. If the rutabaga 

 is taken it will have to be sown as early as the 15th June. 

 Both are good varieties. The large Globe sowed about the 

 15th of August is a fine variety, or if sowing is deferred 

 later, the farmer must of necessity use the quicker growing 

 kinds, such as the flat Dutch, or Strap-Leaf. When the 

 turnips are ready for harvesting, unless it is desired to feed 

 them on the ground, they should be banked. That is, let 

 them be pulled or plowed up, have the leaves cut off, place 



