THE TURNIP CROP. 309 



opinion a serious cause, of disappointment in turnip cul- 

 tivation, is the attempt to raise turnip seed to sell at a low 

 figure. I have seen large fields of turnip seed growing 

 from the turnip crop of the previous year, a number of the 

 bulbs having been left in the ridges for seed, and covering 

 them for the winter with soil by the plough ; thus, there 

 has been little or no selection of the bulbs, and, what is 

 still worse, the seed raised from a crop more or less dis- 

 eased, or supposing there was no disease, the seed so raised 

 will be tainted from the fact of its being raised on the very 

 soil where the bulbs grew ; no root we grow shows such a 

 loathing of its own nature as the turnip. I have seen the 

 experiment made of raising turnips where a hog or pye has 

 been the previous year ; the experiment was tried both Avith 

 seed and with strong plants the result was not one moder- 

 ately good root, the few that did live were all diseased." 



111. Loudon, in the Encyclopedia of Agriculture, 

 states that the Norfolk farmers most successful growers 

 of turnips have peculiar views; a "sort of theory on 

 the subject of transplanting turnips for seed, which it 

 may be worth while to attend to. According to that theory, 

 where turnip seed is collected from such turnips as have 

 been sown three or four years in succession, the roots are 

 liable to be numerous and long, and the necks, or parts 

 between the bulbs and leaves, coarse and thick ; and when 

 taken from such as have been transplanted every year, 

 these parts are liable to become too fine, and the tap roots 

 to be diminished in too great a proportion. Of course the 

 most certain plan is to procure seed from turnips that are 

 transplanted one year and sown the next ; or, if they be 

 transplanted once in three years, it is supposed that the 

 stock may be preserved in a proper state of perfection. It 

 is stated that the method of performing this business in 

 the best way is to select such turnips as are of the best 

 kinds and of the most perfect forms from the field crops, 

 and after cutting their tops off, to transplant them about 

 the month of November, or following month, into a piece 

 of ground that has been put into a fine state of tillage, by 



