CULTIVATION OF TURNIPS.—NO. 1. 
203 
most other kinds have become pithy and unfit to 
eat. The varieties best adapted for feeding stock, 
are the Swedish (ruta-baga). Dale’s hybrid, Law- 
town hybrid, the Norfolk, and the large globe. 
Period of Sowing. —The period of sowing the flat 
varieties, varies according to the climate and the 
season in which they are intended to be consumed. 
Those designed for summer use should be sown 
early in spring. But the main sowings intended for 
the kitchen and the feeding of stock during the 
winter and spring, should be done in Canada and 
the northern parts of the United States by the mid¬ 
dle of July; but in the southern parts of New York, 
New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and most of the Western 
States, the time may be prolonged until the middle 
of August or the beginning of September. If sown 
earlier, they are not so tender nor so finely flavor¬ 
ed ; and if sown later, they will not generally attain 
their full growth. The ruta-baga, the globe, and 
the Norfolk varieties require more time to perfect 
themselves. Therefore, they should be sown at 
least a month earlier than the other kinds. 
Selection and Preparation of the Soil. —It has been 
proved by long experience in this country, that old 
sod, well rotted, or newly-cleared land, recently 
burnt over, produces the largest and the finest fla¬ 
vored roots. Those who do not possess lands of 
this description, but have a few sheep, can raise a 
small patch of the flat turnips by folding the ground 
at night for two or three months previous to sow¬ 
ing the seed. But those who design to enter into 
field culture on a large scale, must render their land 
as rich as possible, by adding manure, especially if 
the crop is to be removed from the ground. 
In the cultivation of turnips, there are four things 
which ought to be carefully attended to: 1st, to 
have the ground in a finely pulverized state. This 
may be accomplished by deep and rough plowing 
just before the freezing of the ground; 2d, to force 
forward the young plants into rough leaf, in order 
to secure them from the attack of the fly. This is 
best effected by drilling the seed with guano, bone- 
dust, rape dust, prepared compost, or other stimu¬ 
lating manure, or by soaking the seed in a solution 
of concentrated chemical manures; 3d, to have the 
ground clean and free from weeds before the seeds 
are sown, and watching the growth of weeds after¬ 
wards, and cutting them off before they choke Che 
crop; 4th, to keep the ground constantly loose and 
open about the plants, by stirring it between the 
drills in dry weather. The oftener the ground is 
stirred the better, provided you do not disturb the 
roots of the plants. 
In preparing a field for a crop of turnips, unless 
it be folded or burnt land, it should be plowed and 
cross-plowed immediately after harvest in the fall. 
A good coating of barn-yard manure should be turn¬ 
ed under, which it is not necessary should be rot¬ 
ten, as it will become thoroughly decomposed and 
incorporated with the soil, at the time of sowing. 
If barn-yard manure cannot conveniently be had, its 
place may be supplied by plowing in a green crop 
of clover, lucern, or buckwheat, the summer before, 
and let the land lie in a fallow during the fall. 
About the beginning of summer, the next year, 
another plowing must be given, with repeated har- 
rowings, in order to destroy the weeds and pulverize 
the soil. Just previous to sowing broadcast, the 
ground must receive a dressing of well rotted com¬ 
post or barn-yard manure, which should immedi¬ 
ately be plowed in; but if guano, bone-dust, &c., 
be used, it is better to sow in drills. If the land be 
dry, let it be plowed quite flat; but if wet and 
springy, form it into ridges or beds sufficiently high 
to keep off the water; or, after the last manuring, 
plow it into four-furrow ridges and drill on the top 
of each. 
Choice of Seed. —New seed should always be 
sown in preference to old; and it is thought to do 
better if brought from a cold climate to a warmer 
one, or changed as often as every other year, as 
otherwise, it is believed to degenerate, and the 
quality of the roots become impaired. Should the 
farmer raise his own seed, he may select turnips of 
a large size of a perfect form, and plant them in a 
row about a foot apart as early in the spring as the 
season will admit, taking care to keep them free 
from weeds and voracious birds until mature. They 
will ripen their seeds in this country from June to 
August, according to the climate and the latitude of 
the place, which, in general, will be sufficiently 
early for the autumn crop. No two varieties must 
be allowed to grow together, nor in the neighbor¬ 
hood of any of the cabbage or brassica tribes, as 
their pollen is liable to mix and produce worthless 
seeds. When sufficiently ripe, the seed-stalks may 
be cut, well dried in the sun, the seeds beaten out, 
and stored for use. 
Preparation and Sowing of the Seed. —The quan¬ 
tity of seed recommended, varies, according to the 
condition of the soil and the variety employed— 
say, from a pound and a half to six pounds to the 
acre, if sown broadcast, or one-half as much if sown 
in drills. When sown broadcast, it may be more 
regularly distributed by mixing it with a half bushel 
of damp saw-dust, or other materials, to the acre in 
order to increase its bulk. Whether sown broad¬ 
cast, or in drills, the growth of the plants may be 
greatly accelerated and sooner carried forward be¬ 
yond the power of the fly, by soaking the seeds for 
36 hours in a solution of 1 lb. of guano to 10 gal¬ 
lons of water; or 1 lb. of Kagenbusch and Co.’s 
germinating compound to 4 gallons of water, the 
same length of time. 
The most approved mode of cultivation, when 
land is high and labor cheap, is to sow in drills on 
the top of ridgelets formed by the plow, allowing 
the plants to remain where sown, and thinning them 
out at proper intervals, the first time of hoeing. 
When the ground is ready, and guano, bone-dust, 
or barn-yard manure is to be applied, commence 
opening the drills with the plow, making the fur¬ 
rows from 20 to 24 inches apart, from centre to 
centre, according to the strength of the land. Then 
spread the manure equally in the drills, and cover 
it with the plow, by splitting the furrows in the 
middle, turning one-half of the earth each way, so 
that the manure may lie in the centre of the drill 
when closed in. An acre of ground will require 
from 250 to 400 lbs. of guano; 15 to 20 bushels of 
bone-dust; 4 or 5 bushels of bones dissolved in 
100 lbs. of sulphuric acid; 200 to 250 lbs. of super¬ 
phosphate of lime; 20 or 30 bushels of wood-ashes; 
or from 500 to 1000 bushels of fine, well-ffotted, 
barn-yard manure. 
When the drills are thus completed, the seed may 
