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will come up ; at which time, if the 

 Seafon mould prove dry, they will be 

 in great Danger of being deftroyed 

 by the Fly ; but if it fo happen, the 

 Ground muft be fovvn again ; for 

 the Seed being cheap, the chief Ex- 

 pence is the Labour. 



When the Plants have got four or 

 five Leaves, they mould be hoed to 

 deftroy the Weeds, and to cut up 

 the Plants where they are too thick ; 

 leavingthe remaining ones about fix 

 or eight Inches afunder each Way, 

 which will be room enough for the 

 Plants to ftand for the nrft Hoeing : 

 but in the fecond Hoeing, which 

 muft be perform'd about threeWeeks 

 or a Month after the firft, theyihould 

 be cut up, fo as that the remaining 

 Plants may ftand fourteen or fixteen 

 Inches Diitance, or more, efpecially 

 if they are defign'd for feeding of 

 Cattle ; for where the Plants aie 

 allow'd a good Diftance, the Roots 

 will be proportionably large ; fo that 

 what is loft inN umber, will be over- 

 gain'd by their Bulk ; which is what 

 I have often obferVd. But in fuch 

 Places where they are iown for the 

 Ufe of the Kitchen, they need not 

 be left at a greater Diftance than 

 ten Inches, or a Foot ; becaufe large 

 Roots are not fo generally efteem'd 

 for the Table. 



It is not many Years fince the 

 Pra&iceof fowing Turneps, for feed- 

 ing of Cattle, has been of general 

 Ufe : how it happen'd that this Im- 

 provement mould have been fo long 

 negle&ed in every Part of Europe, 

 is not eafy to determine ; fince it is 

 very plain, that this Piece of Huf- 

 bandry was known to the Antients. 

 For Columella, in treating of the 

 feveral Kinds of Vegetables which 

 are proper for the Field, recom- 

 mends the cultivating of the Rapa 

 in plenty ; becaufe (fays he) thofe 

 Roots which are not wanted for the 



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Table, will be eaten by the Cattle- 

 And yet this Plant was not much 

 cultivated in the Fields till of late 

 Years ; nor is the true Method of 

 cultivating Turneps yet known, or, 

 at leaft, not praclis'd, in foms of the 

 diftant Counties of England, at this 

 time. For in many Places the Seed 

 is fown with Barley, in the Spring ; 

 and thofe Plants which come up, 

 and live till the Barley is cut, pro- 

 duce a little Green for the Sheep to 

 pick up, but never have any Roots. 

 In other Places, where the Turnep- 

 feed is fovvn by itfelf, the Method 

 of hoeing them is not underftood ; 

 fo that Weeds and Turneps are per- 

 mitted to grow together : and where 

 the Turneps come up thick in 

 Patches, they are never thinned ; fo 

 that they draw up to have long 

 Leaves, but never can have good 

 Roots ; which is the principal Part 

 of the Plant ; therefore Ihould be 

 chiefly attended to. 



The general Method now pracli- 

 fed in England, for cultivating this 

 Plant in the Fields, is the fame as 

 is praclifed by the Farming-garden- 

 ers, who fupply the London Markets 

 with thefe Roots, and is the fame as 

 before directed. But it is only with- 

 in theCompafsof a few Years, that 

 the Country-people have been ac- 

 quainted with the Method of hoeing 

 them ; fo that the Farmers ufually 

 employ'd Gardeners, who had been 

 bred up in the Kitchen-gardens, to 

 perform this Work. And the ufu- 

 al Price given per Acre, for twice 

 hoeing, and leaving the Crop clean, 

 and the Plants fet out properly, was 

 feven Shillings ; at which Price the 

 Gardeners could get fo much 

 per Week, as to make it worth their 

 while to leave their Habitations, and 

 praclile this in different Counties, 

 during the Seafon for this Work ; 

 which always happens, after the 

 greateft 



