77 



etable matter contained in them. It is for this reason that 

 bones, superphosphate of lime, ashes, and Mexican Guano, 

 produce so good an effect upon the crop. Of these various fer- 

 tilizers the intelligent farmer must select that which is the most 

 economical in his own locality — with the assurance that land 

 which is adapted to turnips, is also adapted to this class of ma- 

 nures. And he may also be assured that no kind or quantity 

 of manure will induce turnips to grow in land chilled by stag- 

 nant water, to never so slight a degree. 



We have incidentally referred to the sowing of the seed, in 

 another portion of this report. It will be seen that only one 

 method can be adopted, by those who select the land and ap- 

 ply the manure according to our directions. It would be diffi- 

 cult to furrow and ridge for deep drill husbandry, a piece of 

 newly-ploughed sod-land although it may be done as we shall 

 see hereafter; and we had better resort, therefore, to the ordi- 

 nary method of sowing on a flat surface with the common 

 seed-sower. We are satisfied that there is no method so econ- 

 omical as this, and none which will produce a smoother and 

 more substantial root. The old system introduced into this 

 country by Cobbett, involved the necessity of a large amount 

 of labor, and that trouble some application of manure, which 

 renders the cultivation of the Mangel so expensive. There is 

 no doubt that Cobbett's system produced large crops. So will 

 the system which we recommend, if properly applied. 



The following abstract of Cobbett's method is contained in 

 an address delivered by Col. Pickering before the Essex Agri- 

 cultural Society in 1820 ; and will be read with interest by ev- 

 ery Essex County farmer at the present day. 



The Ruta Baga. This root may be cultivated in the 

 manner just described for the Mangel Wurzel ; the ground be- 

 ing prepared in the same manner. In England, they appear 

 to be most commonly grown in rows twenty-seven inches apart, 

 with the plants at a foot distance in the rows. But William 

 Cobbett, who in a small book published in New York, has mi- 

 nutely described his own practice, both in England and Amer- 



