HISTORY OF STAFFORDSHIRE. [31 



main till the following spring for sheep-feed, to be eaten in April, 

 and the ground afterwards worked for turnips. If the growth is not 

 worth preserving, the second ploughing should lay it up in one- 

 bout ridges before Christmas, and the land being exposed to the 

 winter frosts, would harrow down mellow in spring. This last is 

 the true mode of preparation for the Swedish turnip, which requires 

 the land to be got forward enough for sowing by the end of May, 

 and which cannot easily be done if one ploughing only of a stubble 

 be given before winter. The manure in use for turnips is dung 

 pretty well reduced, or lime, or both, or compost of dung and soil, 

 or town manure. Near Birmingham, the parings and shavings of 

 bone and hoof dust have been applied with great success. Turnips 

 must be hoed twice, and hand- weeded, if necessary, as the object of 

 the culture is to clear the land of weeds, which may be thus done 

 effectually. It is now a well-established maxim that land, sound 

 and dry enough for turnips, requires no other fallow or means of 

 cleaning. 



The writer once weighed a perch of a very good crop of turnips, 

 and found it 36, which is exactly 30 tons per acre, but more acres 

 are grown less than 20 tons per acre than above it ; yet, by calcu- 

 lation, this seems very little, for turnips of 6 or 71bs. weight are a 

 good common size ; but if we reckon one upon every square foot of 

 71bs. weight, it would be upwards of 136 tons per acre, a weight we 

 must never expect to see grown in reality. It was asserted in the 

 public prints, that near 250 tons of Swedish turnips were grown in 

 1814, upon five acres of the Earl of Uxbridge's (now Marquis of 

 Anglesea) estate. That such proportion might be grown upon 

 small patches is very probable, it being 66| upon a perch, or 23f Ibs. 

 upon a square yard nearly ; but such weight is seldom or ever met 

 with upon an average of five acres. If 30 tons be grown upon an 

 acre, it may be considered equal to two acres of the best meadow 

 land ; and it is a great acquisition to a farmer, if he can make one 

 acre of sandy or gravelly land equal to two or three of meadow in 

 the support of stock, which may be done by industry and good 

 management, The Northumberland method of getting turnips in 

 drills on one-bout ridges, is extending itself in the county. The 

 manure is deposited under the plants, and an opportunity is given 

 of scuffling between the rows during the growth of the crop. 



Wheat Culture, Seed, and Produce. If turnips are eaten off the 

 land in autumn, it is good management to sow wheat, as there can 

 be no better possible preparation for wheat on light laud ; or spring 



