THE TURNIP CROP. 301 



the direction of the ridges, that is across the ridges of the 

 last ploughing, and then harrowed, the weeds being again 

 collected. In place of the plough, the grubber is now very 

 much used for the preparation of land for the turnip crop. 

 103. The land is now brought into a condition ready 

 for the manuring, the next important point to be attended 

 to. The best manure for the turnip crop has long been a 

 subject of discussion amongst practical men ; of all those 

 proposed and used, farm-yard manure or dung is that the 

 most universally esteemed. This will repay a good deal 

 of time and trouble expended in its preparation. The best 

 condition for it to be in is a well-rotted short or pulp} 7 - one. 

 This condition can be secured by careful attention to the 

 formation of the dung heap. All the manure from the 

 yards, stalls, &c., should be spread carefully over the heap, 

 and the liquid manure from the tank applied daily if pos- 

 sible. It has been found a capital plan to turn over the 

 whole of the heap in spring, a few weeks previously to the 

 application of the manure to the land, and to apply at same 

 time dressings of liquid manure. Artificial manures are now 

 much in vogue, but unless honestly prepared, are worse than 

 useless. Of. these Peruvian guano, superphosphate, and 

 phospho-guano are the most esteemed. A good way of ap- 

 plying these has been found in mixing them up with the 

 farm-yard manure in the dung heap, in the proportion of say 

 one and a half cwt. of guano, to four tons of manure. The 

 following remarks on manures for the turnip crop are from 

 the pen of the well-known authority Mr. Spooner. " What is 

 the best manure for the turnip crop on the majority of soils? 

 We have spoken of the properties and advantages of super- 

 phosphate of lime, arid pointed out the advantage it pos- 

 sesses over every other manure, in affording a large supply 

 of soluble food. It should, therefore, invariably form a 

 portion of the manure applied for the turnip crop ; but it 

 must be borne in mind that the manure is not all required 

 at once, and therefore there is no occasion to supply the 

 whole in a very soluble form, but rather an advantage in 

 supplying some portions in a form which comes more 



