THE TURNIP 139 



in June or July. The roots may be pulled and stored at the 

 end of Ocotber, and special care should be taken not to injure 

 the main root, which "bleeds" freely. Special attention must 

 be devoted to storage in a cool place, where the roots will not be 

 exposed to evaporation. The method followed is the same as 

 that recommended for Carrots, except that the stored roots 

 must be protected from frost by a good covering of straw or 

 litter. The best varieties are Dell's Crimson, Crimson Ball, 

 Button's Globe, and Cheltenham Green Top. 



THE TURNIP (Brassica Rapa) 



The White Turnip of the garden differs from the agricultural 

 Swede Turnip in the colour of its flesh. The Garden Turnip also 

 has no " neck," and its leaves are grass green in colour as 

 compared with the glaucous green leaves of the Swede. The 

 Turnip is a biennial, and the part consumed is the "bulb," which 

 is composed of the primary root and the hypocotyl. All but 

 the outer portion, one-eighth of an inch in thickness, of the 

 bulb, consists of wood, composed of non-lignified, thin-walled 

 parenchyma. The bulb contains approximately 90 per cent, of 

 water, 5 per cent, of sugar, 0*5 per cent, of proteid, 0*5 per cent. 

 of fibre, and 0*3 per cent, of fat. The maximum proportion of 

 sugar and of proteid, and the minimum proportion of water, 

 occur when the bulb has reached maturity. After germination the 

 cotyledons of the seedling plants come above ground, and, like 

 ordinary foliage-leaves, carry on the work of assimilation. It 

 is important at this stage to hasten the development of the hairy 

 first foliage-leaves, since the smooth seed-leaves are particularly 

 susceptible to attack by the Turnip beetle. This acceleration of 

 growth is best secured by dressing the bed at the time of sowing 

 with a thin coat of superphosphate of lime. 



During the second year of growth the very short stem 

 bearing the rosette of first year leaves elongates considerably 

 and produces the inflorescence. The flowers of the White Turnip 

 are bright yellow. Those of the Swede are pale yellow. The 

 fruit is a siliqua. When ripe the two carpels dehisce upwards, 

 exposing the seeds which are borne on the placenta and replum. 



