Turf Tools 



( 413 ) 



Turnip 



should not be cut until it is wanted, and then the 

 sooner it is laid down the better. 



The site should be first Corked over, levelled, the 

 surface soil broken up line, the stones raked off, 

 and then it should be trodden until it is firm. If 

 the suds have been neatly cut they will fit close 

 together, but it is a> well to work in a little fine 

 soil with a broom, and follow up with a heavy 

 beating with the turf beater. Where bare places 

 have to be made good in paths or corners of lawns 

 the old turf may be cut out and new let in, the 

 preparations to be the same as before. For 

 particulars as to nourishing turf, tee LAWNS. 



TURF TOOLS. 



Of the edged tools needed, the edging iron is the 

 most important. It has a half-moon shaped blade 

 in line with a stout ash handle about 3' long. 

 It is used for cutting the sods required for laying 

 down, and also for trimming the edges of lawn.s 

 and grass paths where they are trodden down and 

 irregular. Where a straight run only is needed, 

 the guiding line may be drawn quite tightly and the 

 work will be easy. For cutting round curves it is 

 the best practical plan to lay the line loosely down, 

 and, having the iron very sharp, cut round the 

 curve the line describes. It is far more trouble 

 and less efficacious to put in pegs and stretch 

 the line round them. 



The turfing iron is a modification of the edging 

 iron, and is used for lifting the sods after they 

 have been marked out. The blade is heart shaped 

 and thin. A spade will answer, but not nearly 

 so well. While one man is cutting underneath 

 another should be rolling up the turf as it is cut. 



The turf beater may be made of a heavy block of 

 wood with a flat surface, a stout handle being 

 inserted at an angle that enables the operator to 

 lift the block up to his shoulder, or nearly so, and 

 hit the turf with the flat surface. {See also 

 LAWNS.) 



TURNERA. 



A rather large genus (ord. Turneracese) of stove 

 herbs, sub-shrubs, and shrubs with yellow flowers. 

 The plants are, as a rule, rather weedy in appear- 

 ance, but several of them make handsome 

 specimens in spite of this defect. Propagation, by 

 seeds and by cuttings, in sandy soil, in bottom heat, 

 for the shrubs. The soil should be light and rich, 

 the drainage free, and potting fairly firm. 



Principal Species and Varieties : 



ulmifolia, 2' to 4', Je., to 

 Si']>., per. herb, Ivs. wli. 

 beneath. West Indian 

 Holly, Sage Rose. 



iingiistifolia, Ivs. nnr- 



cuneiformis, 1' to 3', 

 yel., bm. 



elegans, 1' to 2', yel., 

 bm.; in bloom almost 

 constantly. 



TURNIP. 



Although not an indispensable vegetable, the 

 Turnip (Brassica Kapa) is highly esteemed in many 

 quarters. Its culture is for the most part easy, 

 although a combination of a dry season and an 

 attack of Turnip Fly is difficult to (leal with. The 

 principal point to aim at is to provide a continuous 

 succession, and this often needs much care and 

 forethought, as summer Turnips soon become 

 strong, stringy, and uneatable. The best roots are 

 produced upon a rather sandy loam, but passable 



see Crassula}. 



ones can be taken from almost any soil, provided 

 it is not deficient in lime. This is the Turnip's 

 greatest need, and it possesses it in common with 

 most Cruciferous plants. Superphosphate, bone 

 meal, and old mortar rubbish are all valuable 

 additions to the soil. Gas lime, in addition to 

 providing lime, is also about the greatest deterrent 

 to the troublesome Club disease. 



Summer Turnips. A very early crop may be 

 obtained by sowing broadcast, under glass in 

 January, upon a bed specially m;ule up, in the same 

 way as advised for Radishes. The earliest outdoor 

 sowing may be made on a warm south border about 

 the end of February. The frequency of the March, 

 April, and May sowings will depend on the demand 

 for the roots. An east or a north border should be 

 chosen for the May sowings, for, if the position is 

 hot and dry, the plants will " bolt " instead of 

 bulbing. The seeds should be sown in rows about 

 1' apart. Broadcasting is practised, but it is less 

 reliable. A method followed with success in some 

 quarters, is to draw drills 3" or 4" deep and of the 

 same width, and nearly fill them with rotten cow 

 dung or a mixture of fine soil and wood ashes, or 

 soil and guano. These stimulants are covered 

 thinly by a little of the ordinary soil, and the seed 

 is sown on the top. A very quick growth is the 

 result, and the plants are rushed past the stage at 

 which the Turnip fly or beetle is most troublesome. 

 Thinning, hoeing, and watering are routine items. 



Winter Turnips. The beginning of July is a 

 good time to sow for the winter crop, and satis- 

 factory results have been obtained from seed sown 

 at any time between that date and the middle of 

 September. The chief difficulty in a droughty 

 season is to get the seed to germinate. Several 

 sowings are sometimes necessary before a crop is 

 assured. Much may be done by forking the ground 

 over several times before sowing, and breaking it 

 up finely, thus leaving a dust mulching upon the 

 surface. Turnips may be broadcasted after 

 Potatoes. If the latter are late a few " greens " 

 only may 'be obtained, but they are better than 

 allowing the land to lie idle. 



A Selection of Varieties : 



POT Summer : 



Early Red Milan. Early White Milan. 



Early Six-weeks. Jersev Lilv. 



Early Snowball. Red Glulii-. 



}\>r Winter : 

 Clu'rk Castle Black Stone. Golden Ball. 



Pests and Diseases 



Fungi. The worst of these is undoubtedly the 

 Club (Plasmodiophora Brassicse) which has already 

 been described under CABBAGE, CLUB ROOT. 

 O'idium Balsamii has sometimes to be reckoned 

 with (see OIDIUM). Peronospora parasitica is 

 another Mildew; it has been dealt with under 

 PEROXOSPOUA. Cystopus candicans is closely 

 related to it, and may be subjugated in the same 

 way. 



Insert*. The Turnip Flea, Fly, or Beetle (Haltica, 

 or Phyllotreta, nemorum) is the worst. The beetles 

 feed upon the tender leaves of, the young plants, 

 and frequently work considerable havoc. They 

 are black, very small, and very lively. The female 

 beetles lay a few white eggs, which soon hatch, 

 are full fed in about a week, and pupate in the soil. 

 Both larvfe and beetles feed upon the leaves, which 

 not infrequently are almost skeletoniM'd as the 

 result. There are several broods in a season. The 



