202 



THE TRACTICAL Gi^IlDENER. 



{July. 



TURNIPS. 



This month may be considered as the most favorable season 

 for the sowing of turnips for autumn and winter use. The 

 plants raised from this sowing will be fit to draw in September, 

 and will improve in growth from Michaelmas to Christmas, 

 and should a moderate winter ensue, they wall continue in 

 perfection until the following spring. 



An open situation should be chosen for this seed ; the gi'ound 

 well dug, and the seed sown whilst the earth is still fresh ; 

 particular care must be taken not to sow it too thick. 



The turnips which were sown in June should now be hoed, 

 and this operation should be performed when the weather is 

 dry. All weeds should be cut down, and the turnips thinned 

 out to about seven or eight inches distant. 



At a season when the turnip-fly is not apprehended, the 

 seed may be put into the ground without any preparation; 

 but if the seed be sown in the hot weather of summer, it is 

 advisable to make use of some cheap preventive of the fly. 

 It appears from a trial of Mr. Knight, at the suggestion of 

 Sir Humphrey Davy, that lime slaked with urine, and mixed 

 with a treble quantity of soot, if sprinkled in with the seed 

 at the time of sowing, will pre iect the seeds and germes from 

 the ravages of this pernicious insect. This antidote, however, 

 cannot be conveniently applied, unless the seed be sown in 

 drills. A remedy, still more simple, has been recommended 

 by other horticulturists, which consists in merely steeping 

 the seed in sulphur-water, in the proportion of an ounce of 

 sulphur to a pint of water, w^hich will be sufficient for soaking 

 about three pounds of seed. 



In the dry seasons of 1825 and 182G, when few turnips 

 were raised in the kingdom, we derived considerable advantage 

 by covering the ground with common hurdles, as soon as the 

 seed was sown. By this means, the ground was partially 

 shaded, at the same time that it was prevented being trodden 

 upon by the people during the process of watering. It must, 

 however, be observed, that in this case, the ground w^as well 

 saturated with water before the seed was sown, a practice 



