OEIGIN AND HISTORY OF OUE GARDEN VEGETABLES. 357 



Townshend's estate at Eainham, Norfolk, in 1730. ... It has been 

 evolved from the common rough-leaved rape, with no semblance of a 

 bulb." Several varieties existed at the beginning of the nineteenth 

 century, such as the White-fleshed from Flanders, and the Yellow - 

 fleshed, probably derived from the Yellow Tankard, but altered by 

 cultivation. The Swede was first introduced into Scotland in 1781, and 

 called " Ruta Baga " at Gottenberg, whence the seed was sent, and 

 supposed to have originated from the smooth-leaved rape. 



With regard to the value of the turnip. Prof. Church writes : " The 

 turnip, like many others of the same family, contains a pungent 

 essential oil. The root is very watery and contains but little nourish- 

 ment. It has no starch but, instead, a jelly-like matter (pectose). 

 Turnips contain no more than '5 per cent, of flesh- former s. " The 

 proportions are nearly 93 per cent, of water, and " pectose " 3 per cent. 

 The nutrient ratio is 1:6; the nutrient value not quite 4. 



(To be continued.) 



