ROOT CROPS 



ROOT CROPS 



549 



in duration. The relationship of these plants to each 

 other and to the hybrid-turnips is shown graph- 

 ically below : 



Brassica campeslris. 



Hairy leaves when 

 young, smooth leaves 

 when older (said to be 

 a cross between wild 

 cabbage and wild 

 turnip). 



I- Brassica campestris, var. ole- 

 ifera. Colza or rape. Annual. 

 Grown for seeds and oil. 

 Best oil plant of Europe. 



Brassica (campesiris) ruta- 

 baga, DC. 

 Rutabaga, Swedish turnip. 

 Biennial. Grown for "roots." 



Brassica Rapa. 



Hairy leaves at all . 

 times. 



f Brassica Rapa, var. oleifera. 

 Annual ; thin root. Grown 

 for seed and oil. 



Brassica Rapa, var. depressa. 

 Biennial, normally. Grown 

 for its thickened " root." 



Classification of varieties. 



Turnips are classified commercially according to 

 their 



(1) Shape. 



(2) Shape of the upper part of -the root. 



(3) Color of the upper part of the root. 



(4) Color of the flesh. 



(1) Shape. Turnips are said to be fiat when the 

 width of tuber is one and one-half times the 

 depth ; globular when the crown and base are de- 

 pressed like a globe, but the width is less than one 

 and one-half times the depth ; round when spheri- 

 cal in outline in all directions ; tankard when the 

 depth is less than two and one-half and more than 

 one and one-half times the width and the sides are 

 parallel; ovoid when the depth is less than two and 

 one-half and more than one and one-half times the 

 greatest width and the sides are not parallel, but 

 taper toward the top and bottom ; long when the 

 length is over two and one-half times the greatest 

 width ; half-long when the roots taper from the 

 shoulders to the root but the length is less than 

 two and one-half times the width ; cowhorn when 

 the roots are twisted like a cow's horn. 



(2) Shape of the upper part of the root. They 

 may be "flat-topped" or "round-topped" according 

 to the shape of the upper part of the root and the 

 character of the shoulders. A concave or depressed 

 top is objectionable, since it permits the lodgment 

 of water and encourages diseases. 



(3) Color of the upper part of the root. Roots 

 are said to be white-, yellow-, green-, bronze-, 

 gray-, purple-, red- or black-topped. The term 

 "grey stones" is also applied to roots having the 

 upper part mottled with green and purple streaks. 



(4) Color of flesh. The flesh is generally white 

 or yellowish. Both colors are found in common 

 turnips, rutabagas and hybrids. 



The varieties of turnips used in the garden give 

 too low yield for stock-feeding, although they are 

 sometimes sown broadcast after an early crop of 

 potatoes, peas or other crop. For the latter pur- 



pose the Golden Ball, Pomeranian White Globe, 

 Cowhorn or Mammoth Purple Top are frequently 

 sown. For sowing for a main crop some of the 

 cattle turnips grown in Great Britain are recom- 

 mended, such as Imperial Green Globe, Purple-top 

 Mammoth, Devonshire Grey Stone, Red Paragon, 

 Red Globe, some of which yielded at the Cornell 

 Experiment Station in 1904 at the rate of twenty- 

 five tons per acre in 

 four months after sow- 

 in g. Among hybrid- 

 turnips well-known 

 varieties are Posterton 

 _ . „ . Hybrid, Aberdeen Yel- 



^™Ffrr. HybHl ^-', ^-^^ ^^^^^".^ 

 turnips. Modern. Bien- ^nd Commonwealth, 

 nial. Grown for "roots." Garton Pioneer, Dale 

 Hybrid. Among ruta- 

 bagas, there are many 

 strains of the Monarch 

 or Elephant, the Im- 

 proved Purple-Top, the 

 Long Island Purple-Top, 

 the Large White rutabaga, Green-top, Bronze-top. 

 Unfortunately, in turnips, as in mangels, the aim 

 in the development of varieties seems to have been 

 to select for non-essentials. It matters little 

 whether a rutabaga is purple-topped or green- 

 topped. It does matter whether it yields twenty- 

 five tons of roots containing 8 per cent of dry 

 matter or twenty-five tons containing 12 per cent, 

 and it is on this line that future efforts in the 

 development of varieties must be concentrated. As 

 mentioned in the case of mangels, the only method 

 practicable for the improvement of turnips and the 

 selection of "mother roots" for seed production 

 seems to be to take out a core or plug from each 

 individual root, determine the amount of dry matter 

 in the same and retain only those roots which are 

 rich in dry matter. When varieties are valued and 

 catalogued on their performance record, as fast 

 horses and dairy cattle now are, it will be easier to 

 give advice as to the variety which should be 

 grown. 



Culture of turnips. 



Land. — The best soils are free-working loams, rich 

 in organic matter and in good tilth. Common tur- 

 nips will thrive on the lighter loams, and the ruta- 

 bagas will give higher yields on the medium to 

 heavy loams, although, if well supplied with mois- 

 ture and manure, good crops may be grown on light 

 friable soils. Stiff clays are unsuitable because of 

 the difficulty in securing a fine seed-bed, which is 

 essential ; and light, sandy and gravelly soils are 

 objectionable because the yield is low. The root 

 system of turnips is mainly in the surface soil, and 

 the- moisture supply at this point in the sandy soils 

 is likely to fail. 



Climate. — Climate is of more importance than 

 soil. For perfect development a damp, rather dull 

 climate seems to be best. Unless the rainfall is 

 well distributed throughout the growing period, 

 the plants are likely to receive a check from which 

 they may never recover. 



