972 TURNIPS. 



Prefervaticn of ^oU Water can ever render it fit to be touched by the mouth 



Turnips through /• . , , 



the winter. ot any animal whatever. 



Admitting, however, the expence of drawing and carting 

 to be the fame, all that can be ftated as extraordinary ex- 

 pence is the coft of trimming and facking, which amounts to 

 J Is. 3d, an acre. On the other hand, we have the advantage 

 of having fine frefh clean turnips, always fecu re and at com- 

 mand, to carry on feeding and breeding flock; at the fame 

 time that all lofs by rotting in the fpring months is prevented, 

 which is frequently thirty and even fifty per cent, on all the 

 crop that remains in the field, after the firft of February. 

 Above all, the pradice of drawing and flacking before 

 winter, by admitting of early ploughing to mellow the foil, 

 fecures a valuable corn, and fucceeding clover crops. When 

 all ihefe circuroftances are maturely weighed, the expence of 

 eleven fliillings and three-pence will, to every enlightened 

 agriculturift, appear but trifling to obtain fuch very valuable 

 advantages. The writer of this little eflfay has had the fatis- 

 faflion of having excellent crops after his turnips, this feafon; 

 while almoft every other crop in the neighbourhood was in- 

 different; and fome on rich dry loams, high rented, by being 

 fown in the months of April and May, on the fpring plough- 

 ing, after turnips eaten off with fheep, were fo miferable, as 

 evidently to pay nothing after expences of labour, feed, and 

 reaping. The young clovers too, fown with thefe crops, 

 have almofl entirely perifhed from want of moiflure. The 

 lofs of the crop and clover feed is not all : the fyflem fufFers a 

 derangement, the confequences of which none but praftical 

 men can calculate. 



One thing remains to be noticed, which is, that twenty-fix 

 young cattle, cows, and yearling calves, were kept nearly 

 three weeks on the turnip trimmings, with oat-flraw along 

 with them, to their improvement; and that many more might 

 have been kept, had they been provided in time. A quantity 

 of good manure was made : and, eflimating all advantages 

 ariling from the confumption of the leaves in this way, at no 

 more than 3d. a head per night, for the keep of each bcafl, 

 the amount will exceed the expence of trimming and flacking 

 the whole crop of turnips on twelve acres and a quarter. — 

 The leaves that remain on turnips after Chriflmas, are either 

 ynfit to be eaten, or wafted by the frofis. 



T. SHIRREFF, 



