TURNIP. 



TURNIP 



and tap-root small. Although the above de- 

 scription embraces the principal characteristics 

 of the white globe turnip, yet there is a con- 

 siderable variety in those to which the name 

 is applied, arising from the degree of care and 

 attention bestowed by growers in selecting 

 their seed-roots ; and the shape is often not 

 a little affected by the kind and state of the 

 soil in which they are grown. Thus globes 

 of any kind, and particularly the variety here 

 mentioned, when grown on a very superior 

 rich soil, may be said to be forced beyond their 

 natural size, and thereby acquire somewhat of 

 a monstrous or overgrown appearance, losing 

 in a great measure their natural symmetry of 

 shape. 



Pomeranian Globe.* This variety was intro- 

 duced some years since from Pomerania, and 

 may be considered the most perfect globe tur- 

 nip in shape, as well as the most regular or 

 uniform grower. Its skin is of a smooth white, 

 and somewhat shining or transparent-like in 

 appearance ; leaves smoothish, of a dark green 

 colour, with whitish nerves. 



Green Globe. Roots of a fine globular shape, 

 with a small neck and tap-root; very white 

 beneaih, and green above the surface of the 

 ground, of medium size, hardy and firm of tex- 

 ture, but scarcely so much so as the green round, 

 although it arrives at maturity rather earlier. 



Stone Globe. This is considered to be the 

 hardiest of all the entire white globe turnips. 

 It grows naturally deeper in the soil than the 

 others, and has stronger and darker green 

 foliage. 



Red Globe. Roots medium-sized, globularly 

 shaped, and firm in texture. This is an old, 

 and, in some districts, a pretty extensively cul- 

 tivated variety. It is medium early, and gene- 

 rally allowed to be particularly well suited for 

 light soils and exposed elevated situations. 



White Round is known in Lincoln by the 

 name of spring white. It is the largest of the 

 round turnips, and, at the same time, the soft- 

 est and most irregular in shape. It is gene- 

 rally hollowed towards the neck, and, being so, 

 is apt to be injured by retaining moisture, 

 which renders it unfit for using, except in the 

 beginning of the winter season. 



Green Round. The round turnips are all of 

 a peculiar flattish shape, rather hollowed to- 

 wards their neck, as also on their under side ; 

 and, when grown to a large size, they become I 

 more or less of an irregular round, or some- 

 what cornered shape. The green-topped va- 

 riety possesses these characters in a less de- 1 

 gree than the former, and is generally of a 

 pretty, regular, round shape, flattened, but not 

 much hollowed, on the upper and under sur- 

 face, the former of which is of a green colour, , 

 and the latter white. It is also the hardiest of 

 the round turnips. 



Red Round. This sort is inferior in size to 

 the two former, but rather firmer in texture, 

 and more regular in shape. It should also be i 

 used in the early part of the season. 



White Tankard. The tankards, like the three ! 

 preceding kinds, are unsuitable for winter 

 feeding, not so much on account of their soft- 

 ness, as from their standing mostly above 

 ground, and being thereby much exposed to 



frost. They are generally earlier in arriving 

 at maturity than the others. The white tan- 

 kard has its roots more than half out of the 

 ground, oblong, or tankard-shaped, but often 

 bent or crooked. It is the largest of the tan- 

 kards, but is also softer in texture than either 

 red or green ; its leaves are large and luxu- 

 riant: it is the earliest in maturing of any, but 

 will not stand the frost. 



Green Tankard. The roots of this species 

 are also more than half above ground ; of a 

 greenish colour, except on the under surface, 

 which is white. 



Red Tankard. In size, form, and texture, this 

 variety may be considered as occupying an 

 intermediate place between the white and 

 green tankard. It is of a bright red colour on 

 the upper surface, and white on the under. 



Lawton Hybrid. This variety, which was 

 raised by James Wright, Esq., of Lawton, near 

 Perth, may be considered as bearing the same 

 relation to the Swede as Dale's hybrid. Its 

 leaves are darkish green, rather small and 

 sraoothish, roots roundish, or somewhat heart- 

 shaped, being often tapered on the under side ; 

 white below and green above the surface of 

 the ground : they are hardy, and possessed of 

 more solidity and firmness of texture than 

 most of the white sorts. 



Scott's improved Purple-topped Hybrid. This 

 variety obtained the prize of the Highland So- 

 ciety of Scotland at the meeting at Glasgow in 

 1839. For a white-fleshed turnip it is remark- 

 ably solid, and attains a great size. This 

 turnip was decidedly the best in point of size, 

 symmetry of shape, uniformity of growth, and 

 quality of fle>>h, of all the white-fleshed varie- 

 ties grown by us last season in our experi- 

 mental ground. It occupied the same pre- 

 eminent place among those made trial of by 

 Sir F. A. Mackenzie, Bart. 



Leivisham Green-topped Ox-heart. This is an 

 excellent variety, grown in some of the south- 

 ern districts of England, and in Scotland. It 

 acquired this name from having been first 

 introduced by Messrs. Willmot & Co. of Lew- 

 ibharn. 



dutunin, Stubble, or Six Weeks. Roots much 

 above ground, rather large, of an irregular 

 globular shape, or in form between the white 

 globe and white round, and rather soft. This 

 sort arrives sooner at maturity than any of the 

 others, the tankard turnips perhaps excepted ; 

 and from its natural softness of texture should 

 always be sown late, and used before the se- 

 vere frosts set in. As descriptive of its for- 

 wardness, it has received the above names, 

 being suited for sowing in early situations in 

 autumn after the corn crop has been removed, 

 and it is also valuable for making up blanks 

 in turnip fields, where the first sowing may 

 have partially failed. 



The comparative nutritive powers of the 

 different varieties of turnips appear to be as 

 follow : 



Grains of 

 Nutritive Matter. 



64 drachms of the Swedish turnip afford - HO 



Stone or garden turnip ... - 85 



Norfolk white turnip ----- 83 



Common or white loaf 80 



Tankard or long-rooted - 76 



(Sinclair^ Hort. Gram. p. 406.) 

 1067 



