ROOT CROPS 



ROOT CROPS 



547 



The parsnip is grown usually on strong loams and 

 even on clay soils. The details of culture are simi- 

 lar to those given for carrots [which see]. It is 

 important, however, that the seed shall not be more 

 than one year old and that 

 it be sown near the surface. 

 Four to six pounds are re- 

 quired to sedd an acre. 

 Since the roots are not 

 injured by frost when left 

 in the ground over winter, 

 harvesting may be deferred 

 until spring, if desired. 



At the present time there 

 are a few well-recognized 

 varieties which are em- 

 braced in two main types : '^^--^m i 

 (1) the long type, which ^^a"^^^ | 

 includes the Hollow Crown ^^ -'-^'s^^^ 

 or Student variety and its ,g,_ ^^^^^^ ^^^^^ 

 strains ; (2) the . short or 

 round type, which is of comparatively recent in- 

 troduction. Both of these types are found wild. 



Sugar-beet. Beta vulgaris, Linn. Ckenopodiaceoe. 



A mangel developed for the pi^oduction of sugar, 

 and a product of the past century. So far as cul- 

 ture and use as stock-food is concerned, it is similar 

 to mangel. [See separate article on Sugar-beet] 



Turnip. Brassica, sp. Crueiferce. Figs. 778, 784, 785. 

 Turnips are grown for their thickened roots, 

 which are formed during the first year of growth 

 and are used as food for stock. The name "turnip" 

 is here used in its widest sense and embraces the 

 common turnip (Brassica Rapa, var. depressa, DC), 

 the rutabaga, a Swedish turnip (Brassica Campestris, 



even in individuals of the same variety, being 

 modified by variations in the plants themselves, the 

 soil and the method of cultivation. As usually 

 grown, they are regarded as biennial plants. 



In this discussion it is proposed to treat all three 

 types under the one heading because, although 

 botanically somewhat different, their uses and the 

 methods of culture are similar. 



.*'.f->«*:.''4.i 



Fig. 785. Single and multiple crowns on turnips. 



var. rutabaga, DC), and the hybrid-turnip (Bras- 

 sica Rapa, var. hybrida, Fraser), all of which be- 

 long to the same family 

 as the cabbage. Like the 

 mangel they consist of a 

 thickened hypocotyl and 

 primary root, the relative 

 proportions of which vary 

 in different varieties and 



Beginning at left, long, medium, short, absent (right.) 



History. 



According to De Candolle, the common turnip 

 (Brassica Rapa) and the rutabaga (Brassica Cam- 

 pestris, var. rutabaga) are native of temperate 

 Europe. They were disseminated in Europe previous 

 to, and in Asia after the Aryan invasion. Turnips 

 were introduced from Spain to Mexico as early as 

 1586, and in 1610 Strachey reported that the 

 Jamestown, Va., colony grew them as well or bet- 

 ter than they were grown in England. Mason 

 reported that they grew well in Newfoundland in 

 1617, and they were grown in New England as 

 early as 1628. With the introduction of the Nor- 

 folk four-course rotation of turnips, barley, clover, 

 wheat, into English agriculture in the middle of the 

 eighteenth century, turnips began to be commonly 

 grown for stock-feeding in England, although 

 this practice had then been in vogue in parts of 

 Europe for some time. Thus far Americans have not 

 been much interested in these crops except to a 

 small extent for garden purposes. A large number 

 of the varieties grown are of European, chiefly 

 British origin, and the question may be raised as 

 to whether varieties selected and developed for 

 American conditions might not be much more 

 satisfactory and thereby encourage the greater 

 development of these root crops. 



Geographical distribution. 



Turnips are grown most extensively in cool cli- 

 mates. They reach their highest development in 

 northern Europe and the United Kingdom and do 

 well in northern United States and Canada. 



Composition of turnips. 



The average percentage composition usually 

 given is : 



