HOW TO GROW TURNIPS. 163 



of small patches on each farm, for the consumption of the farm- 

 er's own family, at least, and the supply of neighboring families 

 with such surplus as he may have. I know there are sections 

 where it can be grown well ; the process I will not undertake 

 to recite. The books will tell you what is right, or, if you can- 

 not find it out in books, go to the Agricultural College, and 

 they will tell you how to do it there. 



There is another point. Prof. Stockbridge alluded to the 

 growing of root crops. I know there are some here who do not 

 want to hear any more from me about root crops. The intro- 

 duction of the turnip into England was one of the great strug- 

 gles of English agriculture. It was misunderstood there and 

 resisted there, just as it is here. One of the earlist advocates 

 of the root crop. Lord Townsend, won for himself the name of 

 "Turnip Townsend," in derision, simply because he was so 

 ardent an advocate of the introduction of the turnip crop into 

 England ; and now, my friends, from the testimony of the most 

 distinguished farmer down to the experience of the humblest, 

 and according to the testimony of Mr. Webster, when he visited 

 England, the turnip crop has become the sheet-anchor of liglit 

 soil cultivation throughout that whole kingdom ; and I have no 

 doubt (and he had none,) that the increase of the supply of 

 meat in that kingdom was owing mainly to the growth of the 

 turnip by the farmers of the realm. 



Now, I want to say a few words as to the process by which 

 turnips are to be raised. I am very much afraid that Prof. 

 Stockbridge may have left a wrong impression upon your minds, 

 as he did a little upon mine, with regard to this matter of raising 

 turnips. In his statement with reference to manuring the land, 

 he spal?:e of manuring it highly, and then planting either tur- 

 nips or mangolds, as if they were one crop. Now, there is a 

 discrimination to be made between the two crops. The turnip, 

 however large a feeder it may be, detests and abhors nitrogen- 

 ous manures ; it will not grow well in them at all ; I' mean, so 

 far as the bulb or root is concerned. You can make a turnip 

 top as long as your arm, if you like ; and you can throw all the 

 nutriment of the soil into the neck and into the leaf, if you 

 please, by using a large mass of barn manure. So you can 

 select a soil that will give you a great turnip top and great 

 length of neck, and no bulb. Take a piece of heavy clay land, 



