90 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



Preparation of Land. 



When turnips are to be sown on newly broken green sward, 

 the land should be manured with from four to six cords of barn- 

 yard manure, or its equivalent, to the acre, and ploughed about 

 the middle of June, and thoroughly harrowed and broken. If 

 the turnips are to be sown in drills, mark out with a furrowing 

 plough, drills at the distance of about eighteen inches apart, 

 and apply to the bottom of these a light amount of barnyard 

 manure, from three to four cords to the acre. Cover this with 

 the hoe or plough, and after flattening the drill with the hoe, 

 the seed may be sown. This should be sown in the same 

 manner as the Swedish turnip, and with the same amount of 

 seed. On old lands, turnips succeed best if the manure is all 

 placed in the drills, and in all cases, well rotted manure should 

 be employed. In the foregoing directions nothing but barn- 

 yard manure has been recommended, it being with all writers 

 and experimenters the standard of manures ; but in some cases 

 with the turnip, as with other crops, other fertilizers are nearly 

 or quite as valuable, and turnips have been found to succeed 

 with phosphate of lime and guano, as well as with the best barn- 

 yard manure. Dr. Loriiig says : " It is seldom that cow 

 manure alone attains a degree of warmth sufficient for this 

 crop. It is well, therefore, to combine it with a liberal supply 

 of well rotted horse manure. A compost of one-third muck, 

 one-third cow manure, and one-third horse manure, well mixed 

 and thoroughly decomposed, is as good an application for 

 turnips as can be found. About six cords of this compost 

 spread upon the acre and well harrowed in will make a good 

 bed for the crop. The addition of half a ton of bone manure 

 to the acre to the compost heap before it is applied, will vastly 

 improve the mixture. 



Usually, in New England, the turnip crop is depended on 

 only in succeeding other earlier crops in the same season. The 

 usual custom is, as soon as the first crop has been secured, to 

 plough the land after an application of from three to five cords 

 of manure to the acre, (sometimes less,) harrow it, and sow the 

 seed, broadcast. This method, although remunerative, is not 

 nearly so profitable as that of sowing in drills, the favorite 

 method of culture in the old country. 



