TURNIPS. 125 



fore, this is not because the climate is any better than 

 our own for the production of the crop, but because long 

 experience has enabled British farmers to use the very 

 best methods in its cultivation. I have known an Eng- 

 lish farmer to spend fifty dollars an acre in preparing 

 his land for turnips. It should be understood that tur- 

 nips can not be grown with the preparation of the land 

 necessary for corn and potatoes. 



Turnip seed is small, and it is useless to sow it among 

 clods and expect it to germinate. The land for turnips 

 must be in the very best possible condition. If it is neces- 

 sary to plow it twice, plow it twice; if three times are neces- 

 sary, then plow it three times. Either abandon the idea 

 of raising the crop, or work the land and keep working 

 it, until not a clod or hard spot remains. Superphosphate 

 of lime is confessedly the best of all artificial fertilizers 

 for turnips; and now that it is so easily obtained, and at 

 such a reasonable price, there is no reason why turnips 

 should not be more extensively grown. In the market 

 turnips usually bring very liberal prices, and the crop has 

 this advantage, if it can not be sold in market, it can be 

 fed out on the farm. Horses are very fond of ruta-ba- 

 gas, or sweet turnips. I do not say that they are a bet- 

 ter or cheaper food for them in this country than corn or 

 oats, but after your horse has had the usual allowance of 

 oats or corn, he will not be sorry when the price of ruta- 

 bagas falls so low in market that you will not begrudge 

 him three or four good-sized roots every day. 



Euta-bagas or Swedes usually pay better than the early 

 white-fleshed varieties. But I should perhaps here say 

 that turnips may be divided into three classes. One class 

 is well represented by the common Strap-leaf variety; it is 

 sown late in the summer, and grows with the greatest 

 rapidity; but it is not a good keeper, which is true 

 of all of this class. These are grown very extensively 

 in England to be eaten on the land by sheep in October 



