47 



leaves, run an exposing plough between the ridges as 

 in the cultme of potatoes, and cut up the weeds at 

 each side, almost close to the 2>lants, cleaning out the 

 bottom of the interval, at the same time ; the hand 

 hoers are then to be set to work as soon as possible 

 after, and the plants are to be left about nine inches 

 separate. Nor need you be afraid of stripping the 

 turnips too much, for they require much exposure ; 

 in dry soils they should not be earthed up again, but 

 I believe that whenever they are to be left out during 

 the entire winter, which in this mild cUmate may 

 generally be done, it wiU be necessary to throw back 

 the earth from the furrows after the second hoeing, 

 in order to drain oiF the surface water ; and in wet 

 land, this process is evidently necessary. The spread- 

 ing of dung, hand hoeing, and gathering of weeds 

 can always be done by women, boys, and girls. 



During severe frosts, turnips become so hard that 

 no animal is able to bite them ; therefore, in frosty 

 weather, those which are intended for next day's use 

 should either be laid in the cow house, where the 

 warmth wiU thaw them, or put into running water, 

 which eifectuaUy softens them ; but the best way, ex- 

 cept in very open weather, is to have a few days con- 

 sumption in the barn, you can preserve them like 

 potatoes in pits ; if there be want of house room. 



Sheep are frequently fed in the field on turnips, 

 and the advantage of this plan, in manuring light 

 soils, is so great, that very valuable crops of bar- 

 ley and wheat have been taken from the most porous 

 soils after turnips so consumed. Swedish turnips are 

 eaten greedily by horses. The best way is to steam 

 or boil them after they are shced, as no root requires 

 more boiling than the Swedish turnip. 



You can easily save your own seed (of which 5 or 

 61bs. are required for a plantation acre) by transplant- 

 ing in November those of the best form, and cutting 

 off the tops ; they will ripen their seed in the follow- 

 ing July. 



