
          768

Ruta Baga or Swedish Turnip [begin right brace]
extracted from Wm Collets Book [end right brace]

1. Seed - to be saved from Turnips large, running
least into neck, the least green, the least of a
whitish colour, and the most of a reddish colour
towards <s>the</s> neck.  to be planted out about
the last week of March.  Best kept in the
ground in the Winter covered with cornstalks
straw & leaves.  The seed from two or three plants 
will sow an acre of ground.  20 turnips produced
22½ [illegible] Seed.
kept in the pod till sowing time best.

2. Time of Sowing in England 1st to 20th June.
on Long Island in Amercia 25th June & may 
be xtended to 10th, July.
Sowed 9th July 992 bushels p[per] acre leaves & soot [illegible] off.
on ground highly prepared and manured with
ashes from burnt earth.

3. Soil - Rich loose deep garden mould best  - but
will grow ell on any Soil but pure sand or
very stiff clay.

4. Manured with scratching and sweepings of barn
stables, yard, fowl house & at the rate of only
60 bushels p[per] acre - Ashes very good put on
at the last ploughing.

5. Preparation - 4 ploughings to destroy seeds of
weeds - from Spring to time of sowing. better
still if ploughed te fall before.

6. Manner or Sowing - best in ridges of 4 feet
seed planted 1 foot apart n te middle of the
Ridge.

7. Cultivation by hoeing or ploughing from 
and the to the plants - hoeing between the
plants, lateral roots in rich soil will extend Six feet-

8. Transplanting in the middle ridges, newly
ploughed - 1 foot apart, 4 feet wide - still
better - time about 25th July to 1. August.
        