11UTA BAGA. 



!i sing (tacked, they may be kept till the latter end of May, 

 and later probably if neceffary ; but which can rarely be the 

 cafe. In this manner an ufeful fupply of cattle food is pro- 

 vided for that difficult and haraffing period, when turnips 

 or other limilar forts of food get fcarce, exhausted, or un- 

 fit for being employed, and when the grafs is not in a (late 

 to be made ufe of by the (lock. On thefe accounts it is of 

 courfe of admirable advantage for the farmer to be well pro- 

 vided with crops of this kind, to the full extent of his live- 

 dock, in bringing them through the difficult months of 

 March, April, and the early part of May. Its application 

 has been to almoil all forts of domeitic animals : with neat 

 cattle, both in fattening, and as an ordinary article of food, 

 it has long been in ufe, it is faid, with much greater effect 

 than the common turnip. It is given after being cut or 

 chopped into fmall piece:; : when given to milch cows, it is 

 found to increafe the milk conliderably, and render it more 

 rich, as well as to give it a finer colour ; but we are afraid it 

 in fome meafure affects the flavour, though fom'e have denied 

 its having this effect. 



And lheep iucceed well upon it, gaining much more 

 while upon it than on the common turnip, but it has been 

 objected to in this application, from its hardnefs being fup- 

 pofed to injure their teeth, when the root is well grown : 

 1 his is, we believe, from experience to be only imaginary. 



Alfo, in the North Riding of Yorkfhire, in the (tore- 

 feeding of hogs, it has been found equal to potatoes. And 

 as a food for labouring horfes, it is faid to be highly bene- 

 ficial, as rendering a fmaller proportion of oats requifite, not 

 being of fo looivmng a quality as moil other roots. In this 

 application, the roots, after being waffied and having their 

 tails cut off, are put as below, and cut or chopped into large 

 pieces by fome fort of (harp tool acting in a high fort of 

 tub or box for the purpoie. In fome of the northern 

 diitricls it is given both in its raw (late, or boiled and mixed 

 with barley duff or broken corn. But as the roots are liable 

 to be greatly injured by expofure after being cut, for this 

 ufe as well as that of fattening cattle, not more than are ne- 

 ceflary for the daily confumption Ihould be prepared at a 

 time. 



It may be neceflary as well as advantageous after this ac- 

 rount of the culture and ufes of thefe turnips, to (late the 

 tatts refpefting them, as they are found in thofe dillri£ls 

 where they are become an article of almoft general growth. 

 In Hertfordfhire, according to the Agricultural Survey of 

 that diflrict, thev have fo rapidly made their way, as to be 

 found in the ufual management of great numbers of the 

 common farmers : no trivial proof, the writer fays, of their 

 obfervation, knowledge, and goodienfe. He adds that Mr. 

 Byde has this year ( 1804) 25 acres of them ; a very regular 

 plant, promiling a great produce. He finds that (heep will 

 not touch the common turnip, if they can get at thefe ; 

 but thev are apt to break their teeth, from the greater hard- 

 nefs and folidity of the root. He alfo finds that they do 

 not taint the milk of cows, like the common turnip ; and 

 are an ufeful food for horfes. He lows them from the 13th 

 of May to the 20th of June. When fown very early, as 

 in May, thev are fo difficult to keep clean, that he prefers 

 June. Mr. Byde reaps better crops of barley after them 

 than after common turnips. And Mr. Greg, at Weftmill, 

 has 25 acres : he has cultivated this crop for fome years, 

 and generally on a large fcale. He manures for them with 

 yard-muck, or pulverized rape-cake, from fix to twenty 

 bulhels an acre, according to the foil, ufually with about 

 twelve, and fows the feed early in May. He dates them, 

 from his experience, to be much better than the common tur- 

 nips ; as they never rot, let the weather be as fevere as it 



may, nor are they (tringy, when confumed late in the 

 fpring. He informs him that the barley after them is not fo 

 good as after other turnips eat earlier, but much better than 

 when thofe turnips are confumed as late as the Swedifh ; 

 that they do not colt more in cultivation, yet are of double 

 the value. The farmers fow them very generally, fo that few 

 are to be found who fow none. Mr. Wiuington, at Broad- 

 water, is a confiderable cultivator of this plant. He prefers 

 them to common turnips, and would fubltitute them for the 

 greateit part of that crop. He fows foon after the fird 

 week in May : for the value in feeding, time of confump- 

 tion, duration, See. he knows nothing equally valuable. 

 The Rev. Mr. Keate, at Hatfield, is alfo conliderably in 

 this cultivation, and with much fuccefs : he has had crops 

 of them for five years. His crop this year amounts to five 

 acres, whicli he viewed with great pleafure — a fine regular 

 plant, very luxuriant ; equally let out, and quite clean. 

 They were well manured with yard-dung, and the land 

 ploughed four times. He fows in the middle of June : they 

 had been hoed at the expence of leven (hillings per acre : 

 part of the field had yielded a crop of winter tares. They 

 have ufually come to a large fize on Mr. Keate's farm. He 

 has fed horfes with them, entirely to his fatisfadtion ; and 

 cuts the roots with a verv Ample, effective turnip-flicer : 

 each horfe had a bulhei every day, with chaff, but no oats ; 

 they did their work very well, and became fat while they 

 were eating this turnip. Cows alfo do well on it ; nor 

 doe6 it give their milk or butta" any talte, but increafes 

 their milk conliderably. They are excellent alfo for fat- 

 tening (heep. The culture is become very general through 

 this county : fo that there are few farmers in it who are 

 without a field of this excellent plant. He likewife fays 

 that the marchionefs of Salifbury has many acres in great 

 perfection, and finds them of incomparable ufe. But 

 Mr. Stephenlon remarks, that their molt important ufe 

 is fo late in the fpring, that it is difficult to introduce 

 them in a regular courfe, and fow fpring corn in time : 

 he thinks them rather applicable to a few fields out of a 

 regular rotation for fowing fome other crop than barley 

 or oats after them ; fuch, for inflance, as winter tares. 

 He may add buck-wheat alio. Cows do very well on 

 Swedifh turnips without hay, and give much milk ; and 

 thefe roots lalt longer for (heep in confumption than an 

 equal quantity of common turnips, but the (heep do not 

 thrive equally. Mr. Deerman, of Altwich, is a great friend 

 to them ; but obferves, that they throw the land out of 

 courfe : as they are mod ufeful fo late in the feafon, that 

 (pring corn cannot be fown after them, he thinks the bed 

 way is to fow common turnips for the next crop, by which 

 means alfo the land would be brought into remarkably high 

 order. Mr. Marfh, his neighbour, makes the fame obferva- 

 tion, but has, however, always fown fpring corn after 

 them. 



On this fubject it is further dated, that Mr. Clarke, of 

 Sandridgbury, has cultivated them eight or nine years with 

 great fuccefs ; having generally from 20 to 25 acres annually. 

 He fows the laft week in May, and finds no difficulty with 

 the fucceeding crop, which is always barley, and as good 

 as any, and often the belt on his farm. He has eat them fo 

 late as the 6th of May. Mr. Cotton, at Hempdead, culti- 

 vates, and has the highed opinion of them ; and has only 

 one objection to them, their flow growth, which retards 

 their hoeing. His corn grown after them is good. Mr. 

 Pickford, at Market-itreet, lias 30 acres this year, a beau- 

 tiful regular crop. He has from experience a great opinion 

 of them, when applied to the fatting of oxen and fheep, and 

 to the feeding of hogs ; in which lalt application he thinks 



them 



