TURNIP — WATERMELON 



499 



Turnips should be grown in drills, like beets, for the early crop. 

 The young plants will stand light frosts. Choose a rainy day for plant- 

 ing, if practicable. Cover the seed very hghtly. Thin the young 

 plants to 5 to 7 inches in the row. Sow every two weeks if a 

 constant supply is desired, as turnips rapidly become hard and woody 

 in warm summer weather. For the fall and winter crop in the North, 

 "On the fourteenth day of July, 

 Sow your turnips, wet or dry.'' 



In many parts of the northern and middle states tradition fixes 

 the 25th of July as the proper time for sowing flat turnips for winter 

 use. In the middle states, turnips are sometimes sown as late as the 

 end of August. Prepare a piece of very mellow ground, and sow the 

 seed thinly and evenly broadcast. In spite of the old rhyme, a gentle 

 shower will then be acceptable. These turnips are pulled after frost, 

 the tops removed, and the roots stored in cellars or pits. 



For the early crop. Purple-top Strap-leaf, Early White Flat Dutch, 

 and Early Purple-top Milan are the favorite varieties. Yellow-fleshed 

 sorts like Golden Ball are very fine for early table use, when well grown, 

 but most eaters prefer white turnips in spring, although they occasion- 

 ally patronize the yellow varieties in the fall. Yellow Globe is the 

 favorite yellow fall turnip, though some persons grow yellow rutabagas 

 and call them turnips. For late crop of white turnips, the same varie- 

 ties chosen for spring sowing are also desirable. 



Rutabagas are distinguished from turnips by their smooth, bluish 

 foliage, long root, and yellow flesh. They are richer than turnips; 

 they require the same treatment, except that the season of growth 

 is longer. Fall-sown or summer-sown bagas should have a month the 

 start of flat turnips. 



Except the maggot (see cabbage maggot, p. 201), there are no 

 serious insects or diseases peculiar to turnips and bagas. 



Watermelon. — The watermelon is shipped everywhere in such 

 enormous quantities, and it covers so much space in the garden, that 

 home-gardeners in the North seldom grow it. When one has room, 

 it should be added to the kitchen-garden. 



The culture is essentially that for muskmelons (which see), except 

 that most varieties require a warmer place and longer period of growth. 



