TURNIP. 



the middle part are large, and moilly of a full green colour, 

 being ragged on the edges. The ftem arifes from the midlt 

 of thefe in the fecond feafon of the growth of the plant, to 

 the height of four feet, or more, producing a yellow flower, 

 with cylindrical pods of fome length, filled with fmall pur- 

 ple, or reddifh-brown coloured feeds. See Brassica. 



All the different forts of this excellent plant are, for the 

 moil part, diftinguifhed by the form or ihape of the bulb 

 or root, which appears in iome meafure to depend upon the 

 diverfity of foil, and the nature of the culture of the plant. 

 But the forts that have been had recourfe to as field-crops, 

 with the greateft fuccefs and benefit in different parts of the 

 country, are principally of thefe two kinds ; thole having a 

 round or flattifh-formed root, tliat rcfts much on the lurface 

 of the land, and thofe in which the root is of the more long 

 tap-rooted form, penetrating deeper into the mould with 

 the lower part of the root, but Handing higher above it 

 with the upper portion of the bulb. 



In the firft, or round fat-rooted fort, there is likewife 

 much variety in the appearances of the tops as well as the 

 roots, though the latter are moflly a little round and flattifh. 

 They are commonly diftinguillied in field-culture into the 

 red-round or purple-topped, the green-topped, the nvkue-topped, 

 the yellotu-rooted, the black or red-rooted, the hard or J}one, 

 and the Dutch turnip. 



In the latter, too, or long tap-roofed fort, there is fome 

 degree of variety in their roots. They are ufually known 

 and difcriminated by the farm-cultivator under the titles of 

 the tankard, the tap-rooted, the pudding, the oblong, the long, 

 round, and the hardy or RuJJian turnip. 



It may be noticed, that the different varieties of the 

 former of thefe kinds of turnips, in confequence of the roots 

 of them being formed more on the ground clofe to the fur- 

 face, than in thofe of the latter kmd, which often ftand 

 high, naked, and much expofed in their upper parts, above 

 it, are better fuited to the purpofes of general field-culture, 

 in cafes where there is much rilk of their being hurt by the 

 cffefts of frofls in the more fevere winter months ; but that 

 in other cafes, as where they are to afford an early feed, as 

 for fuckling ewes, and in the fattening of forward flieep at 

 an early period, the latter kind may be had recourfe to as 

 the mod proper and beneficial. This is faid to be the 

 praftice of fome diftrifts in the vicinity of the metropohs, 

 where it is of importance to have forward lambs. 



In different diflrifts where this root is largely cultivated, 

 different forts of this plant are employed ; and it is not im- 

 probable that fome forts may be more proper for fome 

 qualities of land than others, though little has yet been done 

 in the view of deciding this point. Nor is it unreafonable to 

 fuppofe, that among the many varieties of this highly 

 valuable plant, there may not be fome which, in addition to 

 their fuperior hardinefs, poffefs a greater proportion of the 

 nutrient principle than others. It has, indeed, been ftated 

 that, in a great northern turnip diftrift, the green-topped 

 and white-topped are generally efleemed as more fweet and 

 nourifhing than the red-topped fort, which poffeffes a degree 

 of bitternefs, and is difpofed foon to become ftringy and 

 bad as food : that the white-topped fort, on the better kinds 

 of land, is probably the moft proper and beneficial, as while 

 it has the property of being hardy, it grows to a large fize ; 

 and that this and one of the ftone or fmall hard fort, are the 

 moft commonly grown, and held in the greateft eftimation 

 in fomeof the beft turnip diftriftsftill more towards the north. 

 The latter of thefe forts is, indeed, by fome farmers in thofe 

 diilrifts, fuppofed to ftand the feverity of the winter feafon 

 much better than moft of the other forts ; but then the pro- 

 duce on the acre is commonly much lefs. And by others 



in more fouthern diftricfs, it is thought to bulb quicker, to" 

 have a greater folidity, a finer grain, a thinner fl{in, and to 

 be fmoother in the crown of the bulb ; confequently to be' 

 lefs liable to injury from wetnefs and fevere froft. And 

 that although it may not grow fo quick, or to fo large a 

 iize, the latter of thefe detefts may be obviated by leaving 

 the plants a little thicker on the ground at the time of 

 thinning and fetting them out. Indeed, both the white and 

 green-topped forts are alfo much grown and approved in 

 all thefe dillriAs, and by fome highly extolled on account 

 of the qualities juil noticed, as well as their being of a large 

 growth, and continuing longer in a ftate fit for ufc, efpe- 

 cially the latter. The yellow-rooted or ftraw-coloured 

 turnip, too, is found to be a firm-flefhed and fweet-tafted 

 nounfhing fort, but it has not yet been much cultivated, fo 

 that its properties are but imperfeftly known. The red 

 fort, which was formerly much efteemed, has now moitly 

 given way to other forts. And the black-rooted fort is 

 very rarely cultivated in any dit\rift of the kingdom ; nor 

 even thofe of the Dutch fort, though the early kind of them 

 might anfwer well for forward crops. Much might pro- 

 bably be done in getting good forts, by collefting feed from- 

 fuch as are the moft liardy, and which grow to a large fize, 

 and fowing it in continuance. 



In fome northern and other diftricts turnips are grown 

 much in mixture, which is a bad plan, as they have dif- 

 ferent growths, and of courfe rife unequally. And in 

 the fouthern ones, the white globe prevails much in fome 

 inftances ; and the green round fort is found to ftand well, 

 and be larger as well as more certain in the produce. 



The turnip is a fort of crop which is grown after many 

 other different kinds, as thofe of a wheat ftubblc, a peafe 

 lay, a tare, potatoe, or any other fimilar kind of crop, as 

 well as after the procefs of paring and burning the layers 

 of old grafs-lands. It is the praftice too, in fome diftrifts 

 of this fort, to have two turnip crops in fucceflion, as the 

 means of cleaning the land more effeftually, which has 

 been found to anfwer greatly in the barley or other crops 

 that may be grown after them. 



The foils which are the moft proper for the growth of 

 this fort of crop, are all thofe of the more light, friable, 

 loamy, medium fandy, and other kinds, which h.ave a fiiffi- 

 cient depth ; but it may often be raifed with fuccefs and 

 advantage on many other forts, which have the furface 

 mouldy parts fufficiently fine, without there being too 

 much moifture below, as thofe of the thin gravelly, loofc 

 chalky, and many other forts and qualities ; even on the 

 loamy clays, in fome cafes, when properly managed in- 

 their tillage preparations, and other ways. 



A late practical writer has well remarked, that from the 

 fuccefs of the culture of this ufeful crop, on lands that 

 differ greatly in their nature and quahties, it is plain that 

 the plant admits of more latitude in refpeft to foil than 

 many other forts ; though an opinion appears to have been 

 too general among the cultivators of it, that it is only 

 capable of being iiad recourfe to with advantage, on fuch 

 as are of a light, mellow, and open texture and quality. It 

 is fuggefted too, that this has probably had confiderable in- 

 fluence in preventing the culture of the turnip from becom- 

 ing fo general as, from its great utility and importance, it 

 ought at prefent to have been. But though the turnip may 

 be grown with fuccefs and benefit on foils that vary con- 

 fiderably in their natural friabihties and compofitions, it is 

 conftantly necetfary, to the perfect growth of fuch crops, 

 that at leaft the more fuperficial parts of the foil, or the 

 beds of earth in which they grow, fhould be in as fine a 

 reduced powdery condition as pofTible, as more is found to- 



depend 



