TURNIPS. 



The small turnip, which from its rap- i 

 id growth is called the nimble turnip, 

 may be sown as late as the end of 

 August, and in the mild seasons of 

 the Middle States will i)roduco toler- 

 able bulbs in winter and early in 

 spring. The frost will not injure a 

 grownig turnip so readily as one 

 which is come to perfection, and the 

 leaves of which are withered. Some 

 varieties, like the yellow Aberdeen 

 and the green round turnip, are hard- 

 ier than others, and will stand the 

 winter well in a light and dry soil." 

 The method of taking up t!ie crop 

 for winter store is by running a fur- 

 row along the rows, and turning the 

 earth from the roots ; the turnips can 

 then be pulled by the hand, or with 

 the hook {Fig. 8). 



The following account of the prod- 

 uct and profits of ruta baga is by , 

 Judge Buel : I 



" Profits. — From many years' ex- 

 perience, we estimate as an average 

 product, under good management, 

 600 bushels to the acre. We may 

 assume the following as the average 

 expense of cultivating and harvesting 

 an acre : 



One ploughing and a thorough harrow- 

 ing $2 50 



20 wagon loads manure, at 75 cents . 15 00 



1 pound seed 1 'JO 



) day sjjreading manure and drilling seed 75 

 3 dressings wilii cultivator, man and 



horse one dny 1 25 



2 dressings with hoe, six days, 6.«. . . 4.50 

 6 days harvesting and pulling, 6*. . . 3 75 



$28 75 

 v/hich divided by 600, the number of 

 bushels, would bring the cost of the 

 roots below live cents the bushel. 

 But if we abate half the cost of the 

 manure for the after crops, and allov/ 

 a fair consideration for the tops, say 

 §5, it will reduce the cost of the roots 

 to less than three cents a bushel. 

 Now a cow or bullock will do well 

 and thrive upon two bushels a day ; 

 hence an acre will afford 300 daily 

 rations, or maintain five cows fiO 

 days, at the actual cost of S16 25, 



Let us contrast this expense with 

 that of feeding hay. We believe a 

 ration of hay is 28 lbs. Let us sup- 

 pose it to be 25 lbs. Then, to keep 

 the five cows 60 days would require 

 7500 lbs., or 3 tons 15 cwt. of hay, 

 which, at a fair medium price of SlO 

 a ton, would amount to S37 50, ma- 

 king a difference in favour of the tur- 

 nips of $21 25, or nearly three fifths. 

 Let us test the relative profits in an- 

 other way. The average product ol 

 our grass lands is about two tons the 

 acre ; say the product of two acres 

 would be 7500 lbs. ; then the prod- 

 uct of an acre in ruta baga would go 

 about as far in feeding stock as the 

 product of two acres in meadow ; 

 with the farther advantage, where 

 the turnips are sown upon a young 

 clover lay, that one half the hay may 

 also be cut from the acre which pro- 

 duces the 600 bushels of turnips, the 

 latter being raised as a second crop." 

 " There are so many varieties cul- 

 tivated that It is difficult to enumer- 

 ate them. The Swedish turnips may 

 be classed according to the colour 

 and size of their tops and the shape 

 of the bulb. The best have but little 

 stem rising from the bulb, and a good 

 tuft of leaves. The substance of the 

 turnips is of a bright yellow, and has 

 a strong smell, especially when they 

 have been kept some time. No frost 

 w,ll hurt them, if they are kept dry ; 

 but alternate rain and frost will do 

 them harm. When they are stored, 

 it is advantageous that the air stiould 

 have free access; and for tliis pur- 

 imse it has been recommended to 

 place them between hurdles set up- 

 right, and to slightly thatch them 

 with straw to keep out the rain. In 

 this way they keep longer sound than 

 when put in camps covered with 

 straw and earth. 



" Of the field turnip there are nu- 

 merous varieties. The common Nor- 

 folk turnip is round and flat, the bulb 

 being half buried in the ground ; it 

 throws out no fibres, except from the 

 slender root which proceeds from the 

 centre of the bulb. There is a sub- 

 variety which is reddish at the inser- 



or 



$3 25 for each the two monihs. I tion of the leaves, and another of a 



'^M 



