THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



399 



my feinily mansion, containinij about one acre and 

 a lourili, are. now growing upwards of I'orly tiit- 

 lerent species ol trees, wliif.li nuiuher I expect lo 

 increase as opporluniiies rnay jiresent themselves, 

 not, however, to llie entire exclusion of a lew or- 

 namenial exoiics. 



I cannot conclude without nolicinj; a handsome 

 vine, Lonicera sempervirens, woodbine. It has 

 criins(ni colored blossoms, and is sparingly scat- 

 tered over our southern country. Ii bears traiis- 

 planiinjr, and Ibrms a spiral wreath sufiicienly 

 hafidsome lor some bridal occasion. Our souihern 

 ladies are beifinning to cultivate it ; and havinc 

 pliancy as well as beauty, it will be adequately 

 adapted lo wind vp my essay. Kespecllully 

 yours, C. L. Hunter. 



ON A NEW MODE OF TRANSPLANTING TUR- 

 NIPS. 



(Prize Essay of the Highland and Agricultural So- 

 ciety.) 



By James Hoivison, esq., of Crossburn House, 

 Lanarkshire. 



From the London Farmers' Magazine. 



I am aware that, in some instances, with the 

 Swedish variety of turnips, trials on a small scale 

 have succeeded by following the same steps as in 

 transplanting kale planis, and which success I 

 ascribe to the lormation of the Swedish turnip 

 roots greatly resembling those of Uale in size and 

 firmness, properties which all the oiher varieties 

 possess in a very small degree. It is owing to this 

 circumstance, I am of opinion, that all the attempts 

 to transplant the others in the same way have 

 failed, as will be seen in my mode, which, 

 although eayy and quickly performed, requires a 

 good deal of method. 



1 shall describe in detail the method followed by 

 me from the forming of the drills to the finishing 

 of the transplanting of the young plants. 



1. In an open piece of ground I form raised 

 drills at the distance of twelve inches from cenire 

 to cenire, in each ol which I place a layer of short 

 stable dung, closely laid on, on which the turnip 

 seed is pretty thickly sown, and afterwards covered 

 with halfan inch of fine mould. The breadth of the 

 drills at top should not be more than four inches, 

 so that the earth and plants may be more com- 

 pletely lilted up together by the spade, when to be 

 transplanted. The time of sowing should be re- 

 gulated according to the purposes intended ; and 

 as a fall of ground converted into drills will pro- 

 duce plants sufficient for transplanting three or 

 four acres, it is belter always to have a super- 

 abundance. As to the best age for taking up the 

 plants, I have (bund no difference in their success 

 from the time they have got their proper leaves, 

 until they are three or lour months old ; however, 

 those intended to remain long should be thinned 

 out in the rows. I need scarcely mention that, in 

 dry weather, they should be carefully watered, 

 which in so small a space can easily be done, and 

 which is one of the great advantages which this 

 mode has over the turnip seed sown in the field, 

 where, if no rain falls, it may remain for weeks 

 without vegetating. 



2. I shall now stale llie method followed in re- 

 moving the jonng planis (rom the drills, and 

 transplanting ihem out in the field, after the 

 ixroiind has been ridged u|) in the usual way ; but 

 I must first observe, that I consider rainy and 

 cloudy weatfier as of ifie utmost importance to 

 successful transplantmg ; and so much so, that I 

 preler waiting weeks to attempting it in sunny and 

 dry weather. Having provicJed a wtieel-barrow, 

 a garden spade, and a couple of (lower- pot saucers 

 of a large size, I wiih the spade hit up its breadth 

 o( one of the drills, taking care that the spade 

 enters below the roots of plants. This spade- 

 ful is then carelLilly placed in the barrow, and the 

 same operation is repeated un'il the quantity of 

 plants wanted is taken up. When that is done, 

 ihey are then removeij in the barrow to the field, 

 where they are transplanted with llie implements 

 above mentioned. 



It is necessary for expedition that two persona 

 be employed in the transplanting — one to prepare 

 the plants, the other to transplant them. One 

 spadeful is then taken from the barrow, and with 

 a knife divided in 'hree or lour pieces, one of which 

 IS taken up into the hand and carefully drawn 

 asunder, so as to lay open the roots of the plants 

 with as little injury to them as possible, and, tak- 

 ing hold of the leaves of the one that appears 

 uppermost, draw it irently out with as many of 

 the little balls of earth and dung adhering toils 

 tender roots as practicable, and place it in one of 

 the saucers. In this way, when the saucers have 

 been carefully filled with the plants laid in regu'ar 

 rows, the transplanter may commence his ope- 

 rations. 



He then with his finger, or a short dibble not 

 lliicker than his finger, makes a hole which should 

 only reach to the dung; and then, lilting a plant 

 by its leaves, drops it into ilie hole, and with the 

 fitigers of both hands presses the earth gently 

 around it. In this way two drills may be planted 

 at the same time. 



His assistant, following with the barrow, will be 

 able to supply him with prepared plants; and, 

 from my experience, the two should be able to 

 finish a rood of ground in the course of the day, 

 if the plants are eight inches distant from each 

 other. 



I must here warn the transplanter against using 

 plants that have not one or more balls of dung or 

 earth adhering to their roots ; for if he does, the 

 chance of their growing will be very small. 



3. I may now mention what 1 conceive to be 

 the advantages that raising planis in seed-drills 

 tor transplanting has over the present mode of 

 field sowing. In the first place, as already noticed, 

 when the turnip-seed is sown at large in the field, 

 should it not rain, it is liable to remain (or weeks 

 without vegetating ; and even if regular showers 

 lall, the crop is liable to suffer greatly from the 

 (iy ; both of which evils are prevented by raising 

 the plants in drills, as these can be regularly 

 watered, and the plants are too numerous, from 

 the thick sowing, to be much hurt by the fly. In 

 the second place, in the case of a failure in the 

 potato crop, sucfi as took place a i'ew years ago 

 to so serious an amount, the length of time that 

 elapses be(bre potatoes appear above ground, and 

 a certainty of crop can be ascertained, it is too 

 late to attempt planting a second crop of potatoes 

 on the eame ground, or even sowing it with turnip 



