RUTA 15AGA. 



them fuperior to potatoes. He faw above 500 hogs on his 

 farm. On finding thefe roots fo profitable, he grew no 

 more potatoes. But Mr. Chapman, of Hitchin, is of 

 opinion that this root demands a richer and flronger foil than 

 the chalks and loams about Hitchin ; for they have been 

 cultivated fome years, dunged for, and twice hoed, but 

 the fuccefs has not been great. The farmers entertain a 

 high opinion of them. And Mr. Hale, of King's Walden, 

 has cultivated them four years ; he fows them the latter end 

 of Mav broad-call ; hoes them twice always, picks charlock 

 by hand, and ufes all for fheep and lambs : they have been 

 very valuable indeed. In the fpringof 1800, he could have 

 fold the crop, eight acres, at 10/. per acre. In the be- 

 ginning of March, common turnips being over, 200 fheep 

 and 200 lambs, and 140 other fheep, were kept on them 

 near feven weeks. The fame field was to have been fown 

 with barley, and ploughed twice, but being late, was 

 fown with Swedifh turnips again, and the crop, with- 

 out manure, except two cart-loads of pigeons' dung, was 

 in every refpect as good as the other. This year the land 

 was ploughed once, and fown with white oats, and the crop 

 was equal to full eight quarters per acre. Laft year he had 

 fifteen acres, and this year eleven, of this root. Mr. Roberts, 

 the (leward, who has a farm himfelf, lias nine acres this 

 year, and intends never to be without them ; being perfectly 

 convinced that they are a moft ufeful crop. The writer has 

 not feen many finer crops than Mr. Hale's, and all the 

 parts of a full yellow colour. Lord Clarendon has five or 

 fix acres every year, and finds them of capital life. His 

 lordfhip fows in May, on land, upon which, in autumn, the 

 dung was ploughed in, as he thinks it very eflential for this 

 crop ; he ftirs the land in April, and ploughs it in May for 

 fowing : he fows three pounds per acre : they are hand-hoed 

 twice : he firft ufes them in the beginning of March : he 

 did not eat them laft year until the 24th of April, and had 

 a large barley crop after them. They run very much 

 to top, more than common turnips, and if his lordfhip had 

 none, he would buy them for the fpring at a much greater 

 price than common. He feeds firft with ewes and lambs, 

 and then flore fheep follow and eat clean. Good barley 

 always grows after them. He has only gravels to fow them 

 on. Mr. Parker, at Munden, has alfo cultivated them four 

 years : he has twenty acres this year, and had fixteen laft 

 year ; and as many the year before. The yellow-ffefhed 

 turnip is much the beft. He fows in May, hand-hoes 

 twice, and has always very good crops. He feeds them on 

 the land with fheep ; and draws them for horfes, for which 

 ftock they are very ufeful : he ufes them alfo for beafts of 

 all forts ; they are of prodigious utility in point of duration, 

 and excellent, late in the fpring, for ftraw-fed beafts. 

 He grows as good fpring corn after them as after common 

 turnips ; but manures for them rather higher than for other 

 forts. They are beft on loamy land ; do well on good gravel ; 

 but, on very fl'.arp gravel, they fhould not be fown. His 

 twenty-acred field this year, for fuch an extent, is the fineft 

 crop that the writer ever faw, the eatl of Winchelfea's at 

 Burley alone excepted ; yet this crop is from the fecond fowing 

 in June. Mr. Calvert, at Albury, has had them four years; 

 has now feven or eight acres : he fows them at the end of 

 May ; and finds that there is not any thing fo good for every 

 animal for which he has tried them. He once gave a few to 

 fome fattening wethers that were at common turnips, ;md 

 after eating them, they would not take again to the common 

 turnips without much ftarving. He has had Swedifh turnips 

 and common turnips on each fide of them in the fame field, 

 and fheep turned into the field would not tough the common 

 turnip, but feized on the Swedifh immediately. The yellow- 

 Vor.. XXX. 



flefhed is much luperior to the white ; and the rough-coated 

 to the fmooth fkins. His prcfent plan is, to affign two 

 fields, well iituated for the cattle and fheep, and to have 

 one every year under the Swedifh, and the other in common 

 turnips, to follow each other, by which means no inconve- 

 nience will refult from not getting the Swedifh off in time 

 for barley. But Mr. Hill, of Whittle, thinks they injure 

 the land by late keeping and running to feed. However, 

 Mr. Fofter, of Royfton, has a high opinion of them ; and 

 obferves that they are peculiarly valuable in a chalky dirtrict, 

 where turnips nitijlbe fed very early, or the barley crop loft ; 

 Swedifh then come in when moft wanted. 



It is noticed that the writer concludes on thefe ftatements, 

 that the plant, where the foil is not fufficiently rich, may pro- 

 bably give way ; but as to the more common objection of 

 fome, that barley cannot follow, not to fpeak of the fuc- 

 cefs with which fo many others fow that grain, it may be 

 obferved, that the right fyltem, where the objection has really 

 fome foundation, is hinted at in the preceding notes : com- 

 mon turnip*, winter tares, or buck-wheat, may properly 

 fucceed ; and this double fallow can fcarcely fail of anfwer- 

 ing in the uncommon degree of cleannef6, which muft be 

 the confequence. Another plan is, to draw fuch as would 

 remain too late, and drew them on grafs for cattle or fheep. 

 The obje&ion is, therefore, in any cafe ealily remedied. 

 And in the Agricultural Survey of Norfolk, it is ftated that 

 Mr. Walker, of Harpley, hascultivated them for fome years 

 with great fuccefs, generally has from twenty to thirty acres 

 annually ; feeds them off with fheep and bullocks, and can 

 depend on them when common turnips are all rotten. This 

 crop in 1800, notwithltanding the drought, was very fine. 

 And Mr. Coke, of Holkham, has thirty acres this year, 

 has cultivated them for feveral years with the greateft fuccefs, 

 and efteems them as a very valuable acquifition. Mr. Syble, 

 of South Walfham, had laft year a crop of thefe roots, whi.h 

 came to a good fize, but they were fo hard that no ftock 

 which he tried liked them. But Mr. H. Blythe, of Burn- 

 ham, had a field of them of great ufe in the fpring ; this year 

 he has ten acres. 



It may be remarked, upon the whole, that as the objec- 

 tions to this root, on the fcore of its being difficult to 

 take up, and of its hurtful and inconvenient effedts in re- 

 maining upon the land to fo late a period, feem not well 

 founded, or to be capable of being readily obviated, there 

 can be no doubt but that it muft be found of great advan- 

 tage on moft farms where much live-ftock is kept, as a food 

 to fucceed that of the common turnip late in the fpring, when 

 fcarcely any other forts are to be had in plenty for the feed- 

 ing of live-ftock. 



In fome other diftridts they are alfo cultivated to confidcr- 

 able extent, and with much fuccefs and advantage, as in thofe 

 of Oxfordfliirc, Eflex, &c. : their introduction is likewife 

 attempting in many others, where their utility and value arc 

 beginning to be known. In the firft of the above counties, 

 Mr. Edwards, who cultivates them largely, has a great 

 opinion of them as a refourcc, when nothing elfe is to be 

 had, particularly as a fpring feed : though they lofe thciv 

 leaves in the winter, what they produce in the fpring is very 

 great. As good barley is got after them, in his manage- 

 ment, as after common turnips, but they are fuppofed to 

 draw the ground rather more : it is not known what could 

 be done without them. Mr. James Payne alfo grows them 

 largely, and has the higheft opinion of their utility. They 

 are found by him to be the moft profitable of all ways, when 

 applied in the fattening of young pigs called porkers ; 

 which fhould run about as ufual during the time of their 

 becoming fat, only having a", much of this kind of food a 



c F they 



