CULTIVATION OP TURNIPS. 



237 



thighs below, which should have a degree of flatness, 

 affording thus more space for a full udder; the flank 

 well let down, but not heavy. 



8. The Rihs — behind, springing out very round 

 and full, affording space for a large udder, — which by 

 Ayrshire breeders is considered very essential to se- 

 cure the milking property; the ivholc carcass thus 

 acquiring increased volume towards its posterior por- 

 tion. 



4. The Rumps — nearly level with the back; pro- 

 jecting but little. 



1. ITie Tail — thin in its cord, of full length, light 

 in its hair, and set somewhat further into the back 

 than would be admissible with some other breeds. 



3. The Legs — delicate and fine in the bone, incli- 

 ning to be short, and well knit together at the joints. 



12. The Udder — in this breed is of more especial 

 importance, as the Ayrshires have been bred almost 

 exclusively with reference to their milking properties. 

 The great feature of the udder should be capacity 

 without being fleshy. It should be carried sf|aarely 

 and broadly forward, and show itself largely behind; 

 as it rises upwards it should not mingle too inmiodi- 

 ately with the muscles of the thighs, but continue to 

 preserve its own peculiar texture of skin — thin, deli- 

 cate, and ample in its folds. The teats should stand 

 wide apart, and be lengthy, but not large and 

 coarse. 



G. The Handling — ^will show the skin to be of 

 medium thickness only, moving freely under the 

 hand, and evincing a readiness in the animal to take 

 on flesh when a drain on the constitution is no longer 

 ■made by the milk pail. 



4. The Hair — soft and thick — in the phraseology 

 of the country, woolly. 



1. Color — varies — a dark red, a rich bi'own, a liver 

 color, or mahogany, running into almost a black ; 

 those very much broken and spotty at the edges on 

 a white ground are the favorite colors at the present 

 time. The light yellow is, however, a color some- 

 times found on very good cows, but these pale colors 

 are objected to from an impression that such belong 

 to animals of less constitution. 



1. Carriage — should be light, active, and even 

 ay; this latter appearance is much promoted by the 

 apward turn of the horn. 



How TO HATE NO Weeds TO PULL. — Stir the grouna 

 often, and they will never get big enough to pull. A 

 (cose top soil can be stirred up a half dozen times 

 ith a hoe in the time required to go over it once in 

 the pulling process. The growth of all plants wiU 

 also be greatly prompted by sturing the soil often. 



CULTIVATION OF TURHIPS. 



The yearly increasing demand for fut cattle, and 

 the enhanced price of meat and farm products of all 

 kinds, call loudly on the agriculturist to use every 

 means at his command to augment the fertility and 

 productiveness of his land. It is alike his duty ana 

 his interest to do so. The hardy tillers of the soil 

 are proverbially short-sighted. Because a crop of 

 wheat, of corn, of oats, or of barley affords more im- 

 mediate profit than a crop of peas or of clover, it is 

 considered good policy to grow as much of the for- 

 mer and as little of the latter as possible. Because 

 a ton of hay -nill net more money in the city than 

 can be obtained from it by feeding out on the farm, 

 how few stop to inquire what effect such a practice 

 will have on the farm, and how long it can be con- 

 tinued without a steady yearly 'decrease of the hay 

 crop. The source of nearly aU errors in thought 

 and practice is traceable to a one-sided view of facts, 

 and an indiscreet conception of the relations one 

 thing bears to another; and unfortunately we have 

 fanatics in agriculture, as well as in politics and re- 

 ligion. 



It is, however, gratifying to witness the increased 

 attention which is now paid to the cultivation of 

 those crops which, while not so profitable in them- 

 selves as many others, are conducive to the produc- 

 tion of the high-priced crops which follow them. 

 Clover is a crop of this character, and the last decade 

 has witnessed an astonishing extension of its cultiva- 

 tion in the wheat-growing districts of this State and 

 Canada, as well as in Ohio, Michigan, "Wisconsin, 

 and other Western States. Turnips also Ijelong to 

 the same class of fertilizing plants, and on this ac- 

 count, though not so well adapted to our climate, 

 are worthy of more attention than has yet been be- 

 stowed upon them. 



It is certain that turnips are not only valualjle as 

 a food for stock, but that their growth and consump- 

 tion on the farm tend greatly to its Mu-ichment. 

 They enable the farmer to keep more stock, to make 

 more and better manure, and to gi'ow heavier crops 

 of the high-priced grains. They can be grown, too, 

 among corn, or after rye, barley, wheat, or early po- 

 tatoes; and though the produce per acre in such cases 

 be not large, yet what is obtained costs little, seeing 

 that the land would otherwise be unproductive. 



The first or second week in July is the best time 

 to sow turnips, though there are many varieties that 

 can be obtained at any respectable seed store that 

 yield a fan- crop when sown the first or second week 



