THE FLAT TURNIP. 203 



bushels of flat turnips a day. He worked them every day ; 

 the} r never had a spoonful of meal, they were turned out to 

 grass after the spring's work, and were so well fatted that 

 they took the first premium at our Essex County Cattle Show 

 for fat eattle. So that there is value in this turnip for feeding- 

 purposes. 



The cultivation of the turnip is very simple. It requires 

 thinning and weeding once, and at the same time, cutting 

 through with the truckle hoe, and that is about all the attention 

 that it requires before harvesting, which should be as late as 

 weather will permit. You all know that turnips in the early 

 part of the season are sweet and nice, but later in the season 

 they become corky, and of little or no value as a vegetable. 

 If I can tell you how to keep your turnips so that in the 

 spring they will be just as sweet and free from corkiness as 

 in the fall, I have no doubt you will be glad. The cause of 

 this corkiness is the sprouting of the turnip. The moment 

 it begins to sprout, it begins to grow corky, and in proportion 

 as the sprout grows, the corkiness is more developed. In 

 order to avoid that, cut off the top, so as to destroy the 

 germs of the sprout, and cut off the root, so as to prevent 

 any little rootlets from starting, and the turnip will keep just 

 as fresh through the winter and along into the spring, as it 

 was in the fall. 



Question. How do you prevent their wilting in the cellar ? 



Mr. Ware. Keep them cool and do not allow them to dry 

 up in the cellar ; wilting is caused by drying. But if you 

 have but a small quantity, throw something over them ; a 

 little seaweed, a few carrot-tops, or anything of that kind, or 

 dry saud. 



Question. Where do you get your seed ? 



Mr. Wake. Set out a turnip like this in the spring, and 

 it will grow seed time enough to plant each year. 



Mr. Dodge of Sutton. After four years, it loses its char- 

 acter entirely. Turnip and carrot seed should be imported 

 every year, or certainly once in four years. 



Mr. Ware. I beg to differ from you. This turnip has 

 been grown in Marblehead more than a dozen years. 



Mr. Dodge. I noticed that it was not a perfect turnip, as 

 compared with. those from imported seed. 



