298 CULTURE OF FARM CROPS. 



98. After what Professor Tanner has himself said as to 

 the diversity of opinion on all points connected with the 

 preparation of the soil just previous to the putting in of 

 the turnip-seed, we need not be surprised to find other 

 authorities ''dead against " this opinion as to the necessity 

 of securing a dry seedbed. Thus we find Professor 

 Wilson says, a " sufficient degree of moisture in the soil is 

 always one condition necessary for the germination and 

 successful start of the turnip plant; and it is always better 

 to wait a few days until this be secured, than to place the 

 seed in a perfectly dry seed-bed." Indeed, the Professor 

 alludes to the " water-drill " of the working of which we 

 have, by the way, a capital paper by Mr. Huston, in the 

 " Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society " by the use 

 of which, the necessary moisture is given to the dry soil. 



99. In a paper by Mr. R Vallentine in the " Journal 

 of the Royal Society," the importance of the retention of 

 moisture in turnip -land is fully gone into ; of this a brief 

 epitome will be useful here. " Moisture," says Mr. Vallen- 

 tine, "acts an important part in the growth of roots, and 

 without a certain amount of it it is impossible to succeed.'' 

 Sandy, peaty, and limestone soils have all a tendency to 

 lose moisture ; peaty soils especially require to be carefully 

 treated in spring, so that no moisture be unduly lost 

 soils of this character taking up moisture rapidly, but are 

 freed from it as rapidly ; so that, if it is once lost, almost 

 no " ordinary summer's rain" is sufficient to make it as wet 

 as seems necessary to raise a good root-crop. It is Mr. 

 Vallentine's practice to clean these light friable soils in 

 autumn, so as to get rid of foul stubbles; and for this 

 reason, that where the cleaning of the land has to be done 

 in spring, or just preceding the sowing of the seed, the land 

 gets so dry that a turnip braird will not be obtained unless 

 an accidental shower of rain comes. This authority, there- 

 fore, maintains that all soils which have a tendency to lose 

 moisture quickly should be prepared for the turnip crop as 

 far as possibly can be done in the autumn. If this cannot 

 be done, the chance of a good turnip crop depends in light 



