134 THE TURNIP. 



of 2 to 100 of juice is added in powder, and afterwards the froth is 

 removed and the syrup is filtered through woolen cloth and cooled. 

 Sulphate of lime is added in a few hours which is carefully removed 

 before boiling for crystalization. Otherwise the process is the same 

 as with cane sugar. 



B. vulgaris. (Red) flowers heaped ; leaflets of the calyx toothed at 

 the base; lower leaves ovate. B. cicla (white.) Flowers in threes; 

 spikes greenish, axillary ; leaflets of calyx without teeth ; leaves ob- 

 long, spear-shaped; colors various, as with 1st; subject to many 

 varieties. 



TURNIP. Brassica rapa. C. 15. O. 2. Br. siliquosae. A. 1 ft. 

 from to boil. The turnip is a well known and valuable esculent and 

 edible root, much cultivated here and in Europe. The tops and roots 

 are eaten by sheep and the latter by horses and cattle; the milk of 

 cows, however, is made unpleasant by eating them. Boiled or roasted, 

 and with pepper, they are a valuable.food for man. Bread has been made 

 of them in times of scarcity by boiling them over a slow fire, squeez- 

 ing them dry, mixing them with as much flour, and kneading them 

 with yeast, salt, warm water, and then baking them. Their taste is 

 not then perceptible. Turnips are good sea stores and the young tops 

 are used for greens. They are raised from seeds in light soils, sown 

 in June and are preserved stacked, or put under ground, for win- 

 ter use. 



The value of the turnip crop in England is estimated at $60 mill- 

 ion ; it emiatus barren soils and leaves them clean for other crops. 

 A leg of mutton without mashed turnips is thought but half a dish. 

 They are pulled, boiled, pressed dry, and served with butter, pepper, 

 salt, &c. Turnips are used medicinally, for cough, hoarseness and 

 similar complaints. The syrup extracted by baking them, when mixed 

 with honey, is used for the same things. Middle sized turnips are best 

 for the table as larger ones are more or less spongy. They are most 

 useful in broths and white soups. They are nourishing though some- 

 times flatulent and indigestible to weak stomachs, especially in a raw 

 state. They are preserved by keeping them, with the tops off to 

 within an inch of the bulb, in a dry pit, or cellar, and covered with 

 straw. 600 bushels or 20 tons is a moderate crop per acre. They 

 are becoming the basis of a great improvement in our husbandry. 

 1200 bushels of 60 pounds each, were raised in Monroe co., N. Y., 

 last year, per acre. 



There are several varieties, the common white and ruta-baga 

 being the principal. Bridgman selects 16 varieties for the garden. 

 The varieties commonly known are the white and yellow. Of the 

 first are the globe and green-top, with the bulb greenish, and the blue- 

 top, with the bulb redish ; and also the red-top^ Of the 2d or yellow, 

 are the aberdeen, more hardy than the globe, and the Swedish) or ruta 



