234 VEGETABLE GROWING. 



TURNIP. 



This crop is so easily grown that it is scarcely neces- 

 sary to discuss it from that point of view, yet it is not 

 appreciated as it ought to be. The winters in the South 

 are not cold enough to freeze this vegetable, so it can be 

 on the table for several months in the winter, and un- 

 til quite late into spring. As every vegetable-grower 

 ought to raise his own butter and milk, he will find 

 that half an acre of the largest varieties of turnips 

 will add surprisingly to the quantity of these dairy 

 products he is able to produce. 



Turnips cannot be recommended as a crop to be 

 shipped to distant markets, but the local markets and 

 Southern cities will use a considerable quantitv. 



SOIL AND PREPARATION. 



Newly prepared, or what is often called raw land, 

 will raise a crop, if it is not too badly stocked with 

 weeds. Muck land or land containing much nitro- 

 genous matter should be avoided, except in cases where 

 the product is to be used for stock feed. Wet or soggy 

 land will not raise a crop, but, on the whole, this crop 

 has a much wider range in the matter of soil and 

 moisture than the majority of cultivated plants. 



Plow deeply if the land is heavy or inclined to be 

 hard, but a light loam will need but a slight amount of 

 stirring. 



FERTILIZER FORMULA. 



Nitrogen 3 per cent. 



Potash 8 percent. 



Available phosphoric acid ... 8 percent. 

 If the land is rich in nitrogenous matter, the nitro- 

 gen of the above formula may be omitted. Use 500 

 to 800 pounds in the drill. 



