1839] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



63 



ble to be eat by the fly in dry weather, wherefore 

 it is advisable to water. But the farmers sow from 

 June to tlic middle of August; after tliat time tliey 

 will not i\p|)le kindly, and if you intend your crop 

 lor the table, in the summer it would be proper if 

 possible, to put your seed into a moist soil, and in 

 some open place not near hedges, &c. It is said 

 they are a great improvement to barren land. 

 The ground intended lor this purpose should be 

 well worked and made as fine as it can be, and if 

 you sow a large quantity, it should be in drills 

 very thin, the common allowance being one pound 

 to the acre, though two are very sufficient, and 

 should be harrowed in, and rolled in order to break 

 the clods, and in ten days your seed will come up. 

 When your plant has lour leaves, your ground 

 should be hoed, and the turnips pulled, to be 

 about six inches asunder, and about three weeks 

 or a month after they should be hoed a second 

 time, and left within eighteen inches, or two feet; 

 for what they want in number will be sufficiently 

 compensated in weight. Ten inches are a sullicient 

 distance for roots intended for the table, because 

 the largest are not generally esteemed the sweet- 

 est. It is but of late years, that turnips have 

 been sown in the fields lor cattle, and yet it was 

 practised by the ancients, for Columella recom- 

 mends the sowing the rape for cattle. In many 

 parts of England, at this day they are ignorant of 

 the method, lor they sow their seed with barley in 

 the spring, and when the barley is cut, the tur- 

 nips afibrd the sheep soimething green to pick up. 

 The proper method of sowing turnips in the field 

 is with the drill plough, in rows three, four, five, 

 and six ieet asunder, the last is most recommend- 

 ed. Lord Townsend sowed an acre in drills, and 

 worked it with the plough, and another acre in 

 broad cast and hoed by hand, and the turnips 

 sown in drills; yielded a ton and a half in weight 

 more than that vvliich was sown in the other hus- 

 bandry. The great danger turnips are liable to, 

 is from the fly, in dry weather, when the leaf is 

 tender and smooth, wherefore you ought to sow a 

 little soot along the drills, which will keep the fly 

 off', till the rough leaf comes on, and then the fly 

 wont touch it. Caterpillars sometimes attack 

 these plants when they have surmounted the en- 

 mity of the fly, but some hungry poultry turned 

 into the turnip field or patch in a morning, will 

 soon get it rid of these insects. Miller recom- 

 mends feeding cattle or sheep on turnips, within 

 hurdles which should be removed every day, 

 otherwise they will destroy a great quantity more 

 than they can eat. The best mutton in England 

 is fed on turnips, and lis a vulgar mistake to say it 

 makes it rank. In order to save seed, some of the 

 fairest plants should be transplanted in February, 

 about three feet asunder each way. 



A gardener's calender. 



January. Prepare hot-beds for cucumbers; as 

 little can be done this month in a garden, I would 

 advise the preparing of your dimg, and carrying it 

 to your beds, that it may be ready to be spread on 

 in February. 



February. Sow asparagus, make your beds, 

 and Ibrk up the old ones, sow sugar loaf cabbages; 

 latter end, transplant cauliflowers, sow carrots, and 

 transplant for seed, prick out endive lor seed, sow 



lettuce, melons in hot beds, sow parsnips, take up 

 the old roots and prick out for seed, sow peas, and 

 prick them into your hot beds, sow radishes twice, 

 plant strawberries, plant out turnips lor seed; 

 spade deep, and make it fine, plant beans. 



March. Slip your artichokes, if fit; plant kid- 

 ney beans, cabbages, celery, parsley, cucumbers, 

 currants, chamomile, celandine, nasturtium, fea- 

 therfew, fennel, ivy, horse-radish, hyssop, laven- 

 der, lettuce, radishes twice, marjoram, marsh 

 mallow, mint, melons, nnllet, mugwort, onions 

 and for seed, peas twice, potatoes, raspberry, 

 rosemary, rue, spinach, tansy, thyme, turnips. 

 You may begin to mow your grass-walks, and 

 continue so to do every morning, and roll them; 

 turf this month, and plant box. 



April. If artichokes not slipped last month, do it 

 this; plant bushel and garden beans, sow cabbages; 

 12th, sow cauliflowers; sow celery, cresses, nas- 

 turtium, lettuce, peas, sow radishes twice; sage 

 will grow in this or any other month; turnips, sow 

 salsii'y early, pepper. Turf this month. 



May. Latter end, broccoli, celery, cucumbers 

 for [)ii-klos, endive, tiiatherlew, hyssop, cuttings of 

 marsh mallow, melons, [leas, sow radishes twice, 

 kidney beans. Turf this month. 



June. Cabbages should be sown, sow radish- 

 es twice, transplant cabbages, prick out cauliflow- 

 ers, do. broccoli. Draw up by the roots all your 

 weeds. 



July. Transplant broccoli, sow cabbages, cole- 

 worts, transplant cauliflowers to stand, endive, 

 gather millet seed, take up onions, sow radishes, 

 twice, BOW turnips, plant kidney beans to preserve. 



y/ugust. Sow cabbages; latter end, carrots, get 

 your cucumber seed, sow cresses, prick out endive, 

 early sow lettuce, mullein, gather onion seed, 

 plant garlick, get parsnip seed; 12th sow peas for 

 the fall, sow radishes; middle, sow spinach, thouo"h 

 some say not till after the 20th; sow turnips. 



September. Sow cabbages; 10th, sow cauliflow- 

 ets; plant cuttings of currants, clary comfrey, plant 

 cuttmgs of gooseberries, sow radishes, plant layera 

 or suckers of raspberries, rosemary, plant out 

 strawberries, string your strawberries, and dress 

 your beds, plant tansy. 



October. Latter end, cut down your asparagus, 

 and cover your beds with dung, plant beans for 

 spring, sow cabbages; 20th, transplant cauliflow- 

 ers, pliuit horse radish, prick lettuce into boxes, 

 sow peas for the hot beil, radishes; turf this month. 



November. Take up your cabbages, sow cab- 

 bages, take up your cauliflowers, such as are 

 flowered, and house them, take up your carrots, 

 trench all your vacant land, prune your trees and 

 vines, plant out every thing of the tree or shrub 

 kind, that has a root to it; if any thing is done to 

 your artichokes, this is a good month; plant box; 

 turf early. 



December. Cover your endive with brush, co- 

 ver celery, and every thing else that needs shelter. 



