TURNIP. 



It has been fuggefted by a large cultivator of this fort 

 of crop, that thefe advantages may be equally well attained, 

 and with more fuccefs and kfs danger and inconvenience, 

 by means of paring only one fide of a ridge at a time, leav- 

 ing the other to be performed fome time afterwards. It is 

 thought too, that this praftice of paring one fide only at a 

 time with a fingle plough, and leaving the other untouched 

 for feveral days, has many important ufes and fome fupe- 

 riority. The tool, in this manner, is capable of going 

 nearer to the plants ; the drought has not fo much impref- 

 fion on their growth ; and the land has more benefit from 

 the atmofphere by being ftirred at different times, than 

 ■when the mould is diredlly thrown into its firfl bed, as 

 in the common manner. 



In this mode of proceeding, the work is reverfed at times 

 in an alternate manner, and continued as long as a paffage is 

 allowed to the plough by the ftems of the turnips ; and 

 they are never fet up at all. 



Much advantage in the hoeing of turnip crops may often 

 be gained by having the feed put in at different times, as by 

 this means fix labourers have been found capable of perform- 

 ing the work twice over more than one hundred acres, while 

 in the contrary circumltances, a much larger number is 

 always ncceffary for the purpofe. See Hoking. 



In the hoeing culture of turnips, many different tooh of 

 different forts are in ufe ; but in the horfe method, the work 

 can be well and correftly performed by any light fmall 

 plough. In this work, fome ufe one which is about five 

 inches in width at the bottom behind, and eleven at the top, 

 which anfwcrs well for working the intervals of the drills or 

 ridges. But in fettini^ or earthing up the rows, one of the 

 double mould-boarded fort is probably better, as being more 

 iexpeditious and convenient. Improved tools of this fort 

 have been contrived, with coulters that are moveable, for 

 cleaning thefe crops, which by their capability of being 

 readily fet to different diftances, fo as to fuit the different 

 ^widths of the rows, not only perform the work of paring off 

 and removing the earth from the different fides of rows at 

 one operation, but which, by having their earth-boards fo 

 attached, as to be fet differently as to wiJtli, effeft the 

 work of moulding up the plants. In managing the bufi- 

 nefs by this tool, there is evidently not only an advantage 

 in double the quantity of work being performed, but in 

 ■the different operations and proceffes of it being effefted in 

 a more correA manner, fuch as thofe of ftirring the mould 

 in the intervals of the ridges or drills, and the application 

 of it to the ftems of the young plants on or in them. For 

 thefe purpofes, the tool of this fort, which has lately been 

 invented by Mr. Waiftall, may alfo be found very ufeful in 

 different cafes. See TvRiiiP-Hoe. 



In whatever way the work may be performed, or what- 

 ever tool may be employed for the purpofe, it will always 

 be of great utility to have the earth and mould well loofened 

 near to the roots of the plants, when they are ftiff in any 

 way, and to have all weeds well clearpJ out from about 

 them. 



Dangers to •which expofed. — Turnip crops are liable to 

 danger from different caufes during the more early ilages of 

 the growth of the plants, but the principal of them are 

 thofe of the attacks of the fly, the Aug, and the black 

 caterpillar. 



The fly chiefly preys upon the fweet tender feed-leaves 

 of the young plants, and its prefence is rendered fufficiently 

 evident by its leaving many little brown fpots on them, and 

 by its eating away tlieir flefhy green parts down to the 

 ■nbres of the leaves. It is faid to increafe in fize, and the 

 n.imber to become larger, until the plants be wholly de- 



Vol. XXXVI. 



ftroyed. It is fuppofed by fome, that from thefe mfc-clj 

 being extremely numerous on fuch leaves of turnip plantb, 

 and not eating, but, as it were, fucking their fap or juice 

 through long probofces or organs, that ferve to attach 

 them to the leaves in fomewhat the manner of leeches, they 

 may, in fome meafure, be the caufe of the very flow pro- 

 greis that is fometimes made in fuch plants to pulh into 

 rough leaf. 



^ The ravages of the Aug are readily afcertained by look- 

 ing to the edges of the leaves, as 'it begins firft to feed 

 upon them, gradually afterwards proceeding from one part 

 of them to another, until each is more or lefs confumed, 

 fometimes exhibiting in the whole of the crop a partially 

 eaten flate. In many cafes, ahnoft the whole of the plants 

 is deftroyed. 



The depredations of the black caterpillar moftly take 

 place after the crops are in a more advanced ftate of 

 growth, and the plants have formed confiderable tops, and 

 are in what is ufually termed rough leaf ; the green parts of 

 the leaves in fuch cafes being eaten through and deftroyed, 

 confequently the growth of the plants greatly retarded. 



A great many different praftices have been propofed and 

 had recourfe to at different times, for guarding againft the 

 deftruftion produced in thefe ways, but hitherto probably 

 without any great fuccefs in effeftually preventing it. In 

 this intention, the blending of new and old turnip-feed to- 

 gether, or fuch as has been moiftened, and fuch as is dry, 

 and uUng them as feed for raifing the crops, has been ad- 

 vifed by fome, as by this means the plants, as crops, com- 

 ing up at different times, may be lefs in danger of being 

 wholly deftroyed, or may efcape in fufficient quantity for 

 the purpofe, efpecially as fuch infefts are well known to 

 frequently make their attacks fuddenly in large numbers, 

 deftroying the plants as they rife, and as fuddenly difappear- 

 ing again, leaving thofe that come a few days afterwards 

 untouched. 



On the fuppofition that other forts of plants are more de- 

 firablc and liable to be fed upon by this deftruftive infefl: 

 than that of the turnip, the old praftice of mixing and 

 fowing other kinds of feeds with turnip-feed, as thofe of 

 the radifii and fome other forts, has lately been revived, and 

 much extolled by different perfons, but probably the method 

 is extremely uncertain, as it cannot be fuccefsful, except 

 when the different kinds of plants rife pretty exaftly at 

 the fame time, which, from the great difference in the ve- 

 getative powers of different feeds, will rarely be the cafe. 

 Any ufe that can be gained in this way, muil probably be 

 by employing the feeds of fuch preferred plants, as arc 

 rather more quick in their fprouting and growth than thofe 

 of the turnip, as, where this is not the cafe, the turnip 

 plants may often be deftroyed before the others are in a 

 ftate to be fed upon. The dufting of the leaves of turnip 

 crops over with cauftic lime in the ftate of fine powder 

 has been tried, and found ufeful in faving them in fome 

 cafes. The fame fubftance, as well as thofe of vegetable 

 aflies and foot in their reduced ftates, when ufed by being 

 thrown over the crops by the hand in pretty large quan- 

 tities, have hkewife occafionally been ufed with benefit 

 againft this infeft as well as the Aug. The fprinkUng of 

 tobacco-water, either fimply, or in mixture with foap-fuds 

 and urine by proper means upon the plants and land, has 

 been found to deftroy the flugs in a ready manner and to 

 prevent their increafe. Heavy night-rolling has long been 

 praftifed with fuppofed fuccefs againft both the fly and the 

 Aug. And the praaice of treading with flieep, by keeping 

 them in conftant motion on lands cropped with turnips, as 

 well as that of fowing barley-chaff over them, has been 

 3 N thought 



