Report on some features of Scottish Atjriculture. 183 
(a) Turnips. — The turnip-land is jrenerallj the heavier portion 
of the root-course, the lighter land being reserved for potatoes, 
mangolds, and carrots ; it therefore requires a great deal of culti- 
vation in the spring. After a good tilth has been obtained by 
<rvubbin<r and harrowing, the land is drawn out in drills in the 
ordinary way and manured with about 25 cubic yards of farm- 
yard-manure, or its equivalent in town-manure from Ayr. The 
quantity of the latter is increased in accordance with its want of 
quality, being generally not so rich as well-made farmyard-manure. 
Most of the manure on the farm is used for potatoes, and what 
is made after potato-planting is used for turnips at Holmston, as 
far as it will go. In addition to this dressing, swedes get about 
Ih cwt. per acre of Peruvian guano, 4 cwts. of superphosphate, 
and about 4 cwts. of half-inch bones. Common turnips receive 
less guano, but the same dressing of bones and superphosphate. 
As soon as the manure is covered, from 2^ to 3 lbs. per acre of 
seed is drilled, the sorts preferred being Dickson's and Purple- 
top swedes, and Purple-top Yellow and Aberdeen Yellow turnips. 
At least as much seed is sown lor turnips as for swedes, because 
the former being sown later, there is more risk of fly. A little 
Greystone turnip is also sown for early use by the dairy stock. 
Swede-sowing commences about the middle of May, and ends 
preferably about the 24th or 25th, though sometimes it is not 
finished until the end of the month. Yellow turnips should all 
be in by the 10th of June, as in ordinary seasons the chance of a 
full crop diminishes very rapidly after the first week in the month, 
if the seed is not all sown by that time. Greystone turnips 
are sown earlier, about the last week of May, so that they may be 
ready for the dairy cows to begin upon. The proportions of the 
kinds of turnips grown vary considerably, according to the nature 
of the land that is available for the shift. 
The after-management of turnips consists of grubbing, as often 
as may be necessary, to keep the land clean and open between 
the drills, singling by hand when ready, and hoeing, the plants 
being set out to 12 inches apart for swedes and 11 inches for 
common turnips. The whole of the crop is drawn and put into 
pits, and in a good season all the roots on Holmston will be up 
about the beginning of December ; but at Friarland they cannot 
be drawn quite so early. Twenty tons per imperial acre may be 
considered an average crop of swedes. 
(i) Potatoes. — Thirty acres of potatoes and carrots are grown 
annually. The system of treating the land in spring is essen- 
tially the same as that described for turnips ; but, being 
lighter land, and generally well prepared in autumn, it does not 
always require the grubber. The drills having been made by 
ithe double-mouldboard plough, a dressing of 32 cubic yards 
