New Method of Hoeing Turnips 



205 



Afterwards it may be necessary, before the plants have spread 

 their leaves and covered the ground, that women should go 

 rapidly over the field with a hoe, merely to strike out occasional 

 weeds, in which last operation each person, I find, can finish off 

 nearly 2i acres in a day. 



The expense of the whole is as follows. As to the horse- work, 

 I am certain that a farmer ought not to charge himself more than 

 half-a-crown a day for horses kept regularly at work on the farm. 

 One lad steers the implement and drives the horse with reins at 

 the same time, when the work lies in the direction of the rows, 

 as a quiet horse sees his path plain before him ; but in crossing 

 the rows a boy also must be employed to keep the horse straight. 

 The horse-hoe should go over at least 8 acres each day. 



For 8 acres : — s. d. 



One straight hoeing 3 6 



One cross hoeing 4 0 



Second straight hoeing 3 6 



Children singling, at Is. 4J. per acre .10 8 



Hand-hoeing, at 6c? 4 0 



25 8 



One acre completed 3 2i 



The saving, therefore, effected by this complete use of Garrett's 

 horse-hoe, as compared with the hand-hoe,* is nearly 7^. per acre, 

 about the same saving as we derive from the American reaper. 



The cost of the implement is extremely moderate, as Mr. 

 Garrett is ready, at my suggestion, to sell his four-row horse-hoe 

 fitted for the turnip-crop only at the low price of 14Z. 



* The cost of hoeing, even where the horse-hoe is partially used, is stated in the 

 Report on Northamptonshire, printed in the present Journal, at 10s. to 12s. per acre. 

 The same writer says, that a greater weight can be grown on the flat than on the 

 ridge. In the North, however, the ridge is perhaps preferable. In the South the 

 hurried nature of our turnip-sowing affords the strong argument for the quick 

 process of drilling four rows at once.— P/i. P. 



