578 MANURE FOB ROOT-CROPS. 



time to time, as long as the fniit is growing. But, at the first sign oi 

 ripening, or even earlier, it should be wholly withheld. The ripening 

 process consists in certain changes which the constituents of the fruil 

 and surrounding leaves undergo ; it is a new elaboration, which can 

 only be interfered with by the continual introduction of crude matters, 

 such as liquid manure will supply. "We all know that when ripening 

 has once begun, even water spoils the quality of fruit, although i1 

 augments the size ; as is sufficiently shown by the Strawberries pre- 

 pared for the London market, by daily irrigation. Great additional 

 size is obtained, but it is at the expense of flavour ; and any injurj 

 which mere water may produce, mU. certainly not be diminished bj 

 water holding ammoniacal and saline substances in solution. 



Koot-erops stand in. a different position to any of the foregoing, 

 They are most analogous to the fiist of the above cases ; for their rooti 

 may be compared to wood, of which they are equivalents. But theri 

 is this important difierenoe, that whereas the quantity of wood is ir 

 direct proportion to the quantity of leaves, the reverse is the case witl 

 root-crops. The Turnip that throws up an enormous tuft of leaves hai 

 a very small bulb ; and so of the Carrot. In these plants the root ii 

 formed by the leaves ; but only when they themselves cease growing 

 vigorously. The true object is to obtain plenty of foliage early enougl 

 to afford time for the after formation of the root. This is what happens 

 under ordinary circumstances. The leaves grow rapidly during the 

 warm weather of early autumn ; but when the temperature falls, theii 

 own development is languid, and all their energy is expended ir 

 augmenting the mass below them. By the constant application o: 

 liquid manure a Turnip might be absolutely prevented from forming 

 more root than a Cabbage. In root-crops what is wanted is ai 

 abundant supply of liquid manure when the leaves are forming, so a 

 to secure early a large and vigorous foliage ; after which no liqui 

 manure whatever ought to be applied. This is quite consistent witl 

 the evidence collected by Mr. Dudley Fortescue, and published in th 

 Minutes of the Board of Health. Speaking of Mr. Kennedy's farm i 

 Ayrshire, this gentleman says : " Of the Turnips, one lot of Swede 

 dressed with ten tons of solid farm manure, and about 2000 gallons c 

 the liquid, having six bushels of dissolved bones along with it, wa 

 ready for hoeing ten or twelve days earlier than another lot dresse 

 with double the amount of solid mamire without the liquid applicatioi 

 and were fully equal to those in a neighbour's field which had receive 

 thirty loads of farm-yard dung, together with three cwt. of guano an 

 sixteen bushels of bones per acre ; the yield was estimated at forty toi 

 the Scotch acre, and their great luxuriance seemed to me to justify tl 

 expectation. From one field of White Globe Turnips sown later, ar 

 manured solely with liquid, from forty to fifty tons to the Scotch aci 

 was expected. A field of Carrots treated in the same manner as tl 



