464 



TUR 



TUR 



in the beginning of summer. The! 

 green topped turnip is preferred to 

 the rest, as it grows to a larger 

 size. 



Turnips love a light sandy or 

 gravelly soil, or a sandy loam. It 

 should be made soft and fine, but 

 not too rich, lest the turnips be 

 rank and ill-tasted. 



Ground that has been newly 

 cleared, yields the largest and 

 sweetest turnips ; and on such a 

 spot there is the least danger from 

 insects. 



Next to new land, swarded 

 ground is to be chosen for a crop 

 of turnips ; and the way to prepare 

 it is, to plough it pretty deep in the 

 spring, and fold it by turning in the 

 stock for a good number of nights. 

 For there is scarcely any of our 

 fields sufficiently rich to produce 

 turnips without manuring : And 

 folding hitherto appears to be the 

 best method of enriching the 

 ground for this purpose. It should 

 be well harrowed as often as once 

 a week, while the folding is con- 

 tinued, to mix the excrements of 

 the cattle with the soil. 



The ground should he cross 

 ploughed as soon as the soil is sutfi- 

 ciently rotten, and reduced by har- 

 rowing to a tine tilth, before it is 

 sowed. Where a good stock is 

 kept, as much as an acre may bo 

 sufficiently folded. — See Folding. 



The time for sowino; the seed is 

 about the middle of July. Doiiij^ 

 it on a set day is ridiculous : For a 

 time should be chosen when the 

 ground has the right degree of 

 moisture to make tl>e see(i vege- 

 tate ; and if this should hiippeu a 

 week earlier, or a foitnight later 



than the usual time, it need not be 

 regretted ; but the opportunity 

 ought to be embraced. 



I have sown them it) drills the 

 first week in August, and had a 

 good crop. One great advantage 

 of sowing so late is, that the tur- 

 nips will escape insects. And if 

 the crop should not happen to be 

 quite so large as if the sowing had 

 been earlier, the roots will not fail 

 of being better for the table. 



One pound of seed is the com- 

 mon allowance for an acre of land. 

 But to guard against the fly, the 

 quantity may be a little increased. 

 And it is recommended b^ judicious 

 writers, that it be a nnxtuie of equal 

 parts of new and old seed, that the 

 plants coming up at dilTerent times, 

 the one sort or the other may 

 chance to escape the insects. With 

 this view, .\1r. Full constructed his 

 turnip drill to lodge the seeds at 

 diflferent depths, which it seems 

 had the desired effect. 



The seed sown broadcast must 

 be harrowed in with a short tined 

 harrow, and then rolled with a 

 wooden roller, to break the clods, 

 and level the surface. 



[n a week, or thereabouts, the 

 young plants will be up : And if it 

 be a dry season, the fly will be apt 

 to destroy them : To prevent which, 

 some powdered soot, or lime, may 

 be sowed very thinkly over them, 

 by sifting, in a dewy morning. 

 This will quicken the growth of 

 the pl:n!ts. as well as otherwise de- 

 feiid them. Aiid the faster the 

 pi I! its grow, the sooner they will 

 unfidd iheir rough leaves, and be 

 out of danger of the fly. Or it 

 may answer well to sprinkle the 



