THE SOUTHERN PLANTER, 



19efcoteS to mzvttultun, horticulture, ait& the ^ouseftoifc arts. 



Agriculture is the nursing mother of the I Tillage and Pasturage are the two breasts 

 Arts— Xenophon. I of the State —Sully. 



Vol. VII. 



RICHMOND, MARCH, 1847. 



No. 3. 



P. D. BERNARD, 



PUBLISHER AND PROPRIETOR. 



C. T. BOTTSj 



EDITOR. 



f^All Communications, concerning the 

 Planter, must be addressed 



P. D. BERNARD, Richmond, Va. 

 §£|= For Terms see last page. 



TURNIPS. 



The introduction of the turnip among 

 the cultivated crops, constitutes an era in 

 the art of husbandry. Of the several 

 varieties which are cultivated, we may 

 select three as most worthy of attention — 

 the yellow, white, and Swedish, or ruta 

 baga turnips. 



1. Ruta Baga, or Swedish turnip, is the 

 most important of these varieties, and 

 yields the largest quantity of vegetable 

 matter for the. use of 1 ' farm stock. It 

 should be remarked, also, that t4iere are 

 varieties of this root. The best have a 

 yellowish look, globular form, and have 

 no neck or stem. The green and yellow 

 kinds often prove abortive. The seed 

 should be black and full. One pound 

 will suffice for an acre of land. One-half 

 a pound will produce plants enough for 

 an acre ; but as the seedris liable to fail, 

 a pound is not too muqk.'jto ensure a crop. 



The time for sowj|JHj||/from the 20th 



of June to the 5th of^Bpi 



The soil best adapw.tb turnips is a 

 light, dry and friable loam ; or^^^st tiny 

 dry soil with the excepticMBReeavy 



clays. ' ',^8B^&'"'' 

 The soil is best prepared by ttfrpv^n^ 

 it into drills eight (?) feet [3 feet— Ed ] 

 apart, filling the drills with short manure 

 or compost, and after covering it with a 

 Vol. VII.-3. 



plough, two furrows on each side, sow 

 with a drill harrow. The ruta baga flour- 

 ishes best on a clover ley, and may be 

 sowed after the first crop of clover is taken. 

 If long manure is applied, it should be 

 covered with a plough. If rotted, it 

 should be placed under the seed, so that 

 the roots will penetrate it. The plants 

 generally make their appearance in eight 

 or ten days after sowing; they should 

 then be horse-hoed with trie cultivator, 

 and the soil should be removed as near to 

 the plants as possible, in order to destroy 

 the weeds. The hoe should then be 

 employed, and the plants thinned to a dis- 

 tance of eight or ten inches. 



The quality of this crop depends upon 

 the size; and what is rather remarkable, 

 the larger they are, the more nutriment 

 they possess in proportion to their weight. 



The value of this crop is variously es- 

 timated by different farmers. The pro- 

 ducts are, upon an average, six hundred 

 bushels per acre, some estimate the nett 

 profit at eighty dollars per acre ; but their 

 value will vary in different places and 

 seasons. There is no doubt but that it is 

 one of the most valuable crops raised by 

 the farmer, although ihey are much less 

 esteemed than they formerly were. 



This root is excellent for all kinds of 

 farm stock. They are said to be useful 

 for fattening hogs, cattle and sheep. They 

 may be fed raw, sliced, and a small quan- 

 tity of salt sprinkled over them. 



2. The White turnip requires a similar 

 soil and treatment ; but may be sowed as 

 late as the 25th of July. They are not 

 so productive as the preceding, but are 

 excellent for a second crop, or for feeding 

 cattle in the fall ; by which course, light 

 soils may be improved. 



3. The Yellow varieties maybe sown 

 about the 15th of July, and are richer 

 than the white. Sinclare estimates the. 



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