THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
July 7 
204 
the scorching influence of the sun until a partial reco¬ 
very takes place; and the same may he said of those 
interior leaves which, having been long concealed, are 
not able to hear exposure to hot sunshine with impu¬ 
nity. By cutting Box at this season a part of its 
summer’s growth, also, will be retained, which will look 
well the remainder of the year. 
I As we have before said, every walk ought to have 
■ some visible edging, or margin, whereby its outline is 
: distinguished from the ground which adjoins it. Even 
the back paths, or thoroughfares, ought to have boun- 
| dary marks to denote how far they ought legitimately 
to extend; these, however, had better be either brick, 
j or stone of some sort, sunk in tlie ground. Common 
: bricks make a very good edging, laid either edge or end- 
. ways up, where traffic is supposed to pass over them; 
' but they look best when laid angle-ways up, like the ridge 
I of a house, and, if done carefully, they look remarkably , 
neat. Bough stones, or flints, will do in certain situa- j 
tions, where there is not much traffic to displace them ; 
but in a wilderness, or other romantic situation, they are j 
the most proper ; while in the precincts of the mansion, 
or dressed grounds, a prepared kerb-stone, or something 
that represents it in the Terra cotta or plaster way, will, 
doubtless, be preferred, the increasing uses to which the 
last of these has adapted itself will most likely lead to 
many pleasing forms of edging, and other ornamental 
work, so that we have no doubt but the others will be j 
eventually driven out of the market. Slate may be used I 
in some places, and so, likewise, may cast-iron; but the 
first is too thin to look well, and the last liable to many 
objections—not the least being its expence, where, 
perhaps, a mile of it be wanted. 
We are aware that in a kitchen-garden many live 
edgings are turned to profit, or intended to be so, but 
their disorderly appearance more than counterbalances 
any good likely to be derived from them. We have 
seen Thyme, Hyssop, Pennyroyal, Strawberries, Parsley, 
and many other things, all employed for that purpose; 
but, excepting the last, it is seldom that any good is 
derived from them. J. Robson. 
CULTIVATION OF TURNIPS. 
(Continued from page 128 .j 
In a former article, having written upon the subject 
of cultivation of the Swedish Turnip, I now propose to 
treat of that of the Common Turnip, having found, 
i from experience, that this requires a somewhat different 
and more particular mode of preparation of the soil. 
Since the application of artificial manures, and tire 
use of the drill have become more general in the culti¬ 
vation of Turnips, they have been more successfully 
grown as a second crop after Tares, Trifolium, &c., than 
formerly. I, therefore, propose to divide the subject 
into two parts, first, the cultivation of Turnips by a 
fallow preparation; and secondly, their cultivation as a 
i second crop. 
In fallowing land for this crop, it is not requisite in 
most soils to commence ploughing the land in the 
autumn, as in the preparation for Swedes, for as the 
varieties of Common Turnip do not require to be sown 
very early, there is, in consequence, plenty of time to 
| make a clean fallow, in ordinary seasons, before the 
| time of sowing. The first, or fallow ploughing, should 
! take' place about the month of November, or the early 
I part of December; if the land is clean it should be 
ploughed a good depth, say six or seven inches; but if 
foul, with couch grass, then comparatively shallow, that 
is about four or five inches. After being properly 
water-furrowed, tlie land may remain undisturbed during 
the winter months, until the return of dry weather. 
As soon as the ground shows dry on the surface give 
the second ploughing, the same depth as the first, by 
turning the furrow back, after which, it is a common 
practice to drag and harrow the land, and attempt to 
clean it; but I prefer cross-ploughing before making ; 
any attempt to remove couch grass, and weeds, because i 
the land will work down much more level, and will lay 
in a much better state for the action of the drags, 
harrows, &c. Working the land should now be pro¬ 
ceeded with during favourable weather, taking care to 
remove or burn the grass and weeds, and obtain as fine 
a surface as possible, in order that the seeds ol small 
weeds may vegetate, and be destroyed by the next 
ploughing. The number of ploughings, after having 
been once ploughed across, must be regulated by cir¬ 
cumstances; if the land is infested with grass, as many 
ploughings, followed by harrowings and rollings, must 
be given as will be required to complete a clean fallow. 
Tn case the land is clean no more ploughing and | 
harrowing, &c., will be necessary than will suffice to 
produce a perfectly pulverised state of the land to the 
full depth which it has been ploughed. 
The second division of our subject relates to preparing j 
the soil after a green crop. Under the present improved j 
state of agriculture, few Common Turnips are now grown 
where the land is capable of being prepared sufficiently 
early to produce a crop of Swedish Turnips. 
The system adopted upon the best managed light 
land farms, where a large stock of sheep are kept, is to 
sow Tares, Rye, or Trifolium, upon a large portion of the 
land intended for Turnips the following season. 
The best plan is to sow the cleanest land with Rye, 
or Trifolium, and feed off by sheep in time for sowing j 
Swedish Turnips, after one ploughing; the remaining ! 
portion, and the lightest soil, should be seeded with Tares, 
and may be fed off later, and tilled for common Turnips. 
As it is not advisable to sow Swedes after the first 
week in July, the sowing of Common Turnips for the 
main crop should take place as soon after that time as 
the land can be brought into a good state. 
After a green crop has been fed off, or removed, i 
commence the tillage immediately by scarifying, or 
otherwise by ploughing rather shallow, and harrow, 
roll, &c., until the soil is perfectly fine, and remove or 
burn all grass, weeds, or haulm: three ploughings, with 
sundry liarrowiDgs, &c., will be generally required to 
bring the land into a fit state to receive the seed. 
After the tillage named has been done, the land will, 
in some seasons, prove very dry; we have, however, the 
water drill, which may be used with great advantage in 
this case ; and it must also be borne in mind, that the 
effect of the application of artificial manure has been 
to postpone the time of sowing at least a month, which 
brings us nearer the time of the periodical or autumn 
rains peculiar to our climate, thereby reducing the 
