Turnips. 361 



Seed is sown for autumn and winter crops from the middle 

 of July to the end of August (usually after peas and early 

 potatoes), in drills 18in. apart, the plants being thinned to Gin. 

 apart in the rows ; the roots intended to stand in the ground 

 through the winter should be left at 1ft. apart, each alternate 

 root having been removed by a first pulling in the late autumn. 

 When " tops " are required in the spring a special sowing is 

 made early in September, in rows 2ft. apart, sowing thinly 

 and leaving the plants unthinned. 



Storing. Storing Turnips is not very generally practised in 

 market gardens except where there is a necessity for main- 

 taining a regular supply. Then storing is a useful procedure, 

 for apart from the possibility of damage to roots in the open 

 during a sharp frost, there is the probability of the ground 

 sometimes being frozen so hard that they cannot be lifted. 

 When storing is resorted to, the tops should first be be cut off, 

 leaving |in. of the neck, but the tap root must not be cut ; then 

 lay the roots in small heaps and cover, first with straw and 

 then with soil, in the same way that a potato clamp is covered. 



Manures : In growing Turnips care should be taken that 

 lime in some form is present in the soil, and that the crop is 

 not repeated on the same land without a sufficient interval, 

 fresh soil not only producing roots of a better flavour, but 

 also reducing the possibility of trouble from pests and diseases. 

 In manuring, the aim should be to secure quick healthy growth 

 whilst avoiding coarseness. Like all other vegetables, Turnips 

 need a complete plant food nitrogen, phosphates, and potash 

 but of the three a supplementary supply of phosphates is the 

 most necessary and should seldom be omitted for the main-crop. 

 Enough nitrogen is usually present in soil which is kept in good 

 condition by a proper rotation of manuring. Very early crops 

 in the garden form an exception to this, as then the aim is to 

 secure partly-developed roots in as short a time as possible, 

 and to this end the soil should always be very rich with well- 

 decayed manure. Successional supplies grown in the form of 

 catch-crops will receive the benefit of the preparation the soil 

 has received for the main-crops amongst which they are grown, 

 and so will seldom need more than a sprinkling of superphos- 

 phates along the drills previous to sowing the seed. Main-crop 



