Quality of Swedes. 



[AUG., 



Experiments as to the composition of turnips and the best 

 method of determining their feeding value are also being under- 

 taken by the Aberdeen and North of Scotland College of Agri- 

 culture, very much on the lines of the Cambridge Experiments 

 undertaken by Messrs. Wood and Berry. An analysis has been 

 made of 96 yellow turnips (Greentop Yellows) taken from the 

 same drill, with the following result : — 



Number of turnips 

 analyzed. 



Average percentage of 

 dry matter. 



Average weight. 







Oz. 



10 



14-4 



16 



10 



117 



21*4 



10 



11-3 



26-25 



10 



II'O 



327 



9 



IO-8 



287 



10 



10-5 



3075 



10 



10-3 



27-1 



10 



9-8 



38-1 



10 



9-4 



29-3 



7 



8-8 



377 



The bulbs were arranged according to the percentage of dry 



-matter which they contained. It will be seen that the average 

 weight of the first five lots is less than that of the second five, 

 but in this connection Messrs. Hendrick and Greig observe 

 that there is no certain connection between the size of the 

 turnip and the percentage of dry matter. In a very general 

 way the small turnips have the high dry matter, while large 

 ones have low dry matter, but a small turnip may have low dry 

 matter and a large one may have high dry matter. 



The average weight of all the turnips was 28f oz. and the 

 average dry matter 10*84 per cent. 



As the object of these experiments is the determination of a 

 method by which seed-mothers may be selected possessing the 



.best characteristics of the turnip with a view to the production 

 of an improved variety, it is important not only to select bulbs 

 with a good percentage of dry matter, but also with dry matter 



. of good quality ; and after a number of trials, the conclusion 

 has been come to that a guide to the quality of the dry matter is 

 found in the amount of solid matter contained in the sap, and 

 the ratio which this bears to the total solids. Experiments on 



.this basis are being continued. 



