TUR 



TUR 



473 



It grows wild near Dover, in 

 England ; but it is doubted whe- 

 ther it be indigenous. When it is 

 cultivated in gardens, it is rather as 

 a curious than as an esculent plant : 

 Yet it is eatable, and is recom- 

 mended by Mr. W. Baker, for the 

 use of seamen : And he thinks it 

 of importance as winter food for 

 cattle. I have not jet known tii- 

 als enough of it in this country, to 

 be able to ascertain its value. But 

 its bidding defiance to all inclemen- 

 cies of weather, after it is once 

 firmly rooted, is a circumstance 

 that ought to incline us to make 

 trial of it. 



" The turnip cabbage," says a 

 Mr. North, " is one of the hardiest 

 roots that grow ; and I dare affirm, 

 might be propagated to great ad- 

 vantage, for feeding sheep, &c. 

 For in the most severe winter that 

 I can remember, when cabbages, 

 turnips, &ic. have all been demol- 

 ished by the extremity of the wea- 

 ther, the turnip cabbages have not 

 been hurt. They are a very solid 

 and juicy root, and do not grow 

 spongy when they are old, as tur- 

 nips do. The tops may be cut off, 

 and given to sheep in the spring, 

 and the root laid by in an out house, 

 to feed them in April and May, 

 when no other roots can be had. 

 Sheep are so fond of these roots, 

 that they will leave the best tur- 

 nips for them. They will eat them 

 tops and bottoms as they are grow- 

 ing in the fields." Mr. North is 

 not very accurate, in calling the 

 turnip part of this cabbage a root, 

 as it is only an enlargement of the 

 upper part of the stem, and seve- 

 ral inches above the ground. 

 CO 



In the Bath Society papers, is the 

 following account of Sir Thomas 

 Reevor's method of cultivating this 

 root. " In the first or second week 

 of June, I sow the same quantity 

 of seed, hoe the plants at the same 

 size, leave them at the same dis- 

 tances from each other, aiid treat 

 them in all respects like the com- 

 mon turnip. In this method I have 

 always obtained a plentiful crop of 

 them. On the 23rd of April last, 

 having two acres left of my crop, I 

 divided them by hurdles into three 

 equal parts. Into the first part I 

 put twenty four small bullocks and 

 thirty middle sized wethers, which, 

 at the end of the first week, 1 shift- 

 ed into the second division, and 

 then put seventy lean sheep into 

 what was left of the first: These 

 fed off the remainder of the turnips 

 left by the fat stock : And so they 

 were shifted through the three di- 

 visions, the lean flock following the 

 fat, till the whole was consumed. 

 The twenty four bullocks, and the 

 thirty fat wethers, were fed four 

 weeks, and the seventy lean 

 sheep as long. So that the two 

 acres kept twenty four bullocks 

 and one hundred sheep four 

 weeks. The value, at the rate of 

 keeping at that season, cannot be 

 less than 4d. a week for each sheep, 

 and Is. 6d. a week for each bul- 

 lock, which amount together to 

 £ 14 10 8, for the two acres. Thus 

 you see that in providing a most 

 incomparable food for cattle, in that 

 season of the year in which the 

 farmer is most distressed, and his 

 cattle almost starved, a consider- 

 able profit may be likewise obtain- 

 ed. 



