American Agriculture. 
439 
and bran is usually cheap. I hope to live to see the time when we 
shall send less corn and more mutton across the Atlantic, and when 
we can raise nearly all our own combing wool. 
Hitherto we have raised few turnips or other roots for our sheep. 
Much has been written and said in their favor and many farmers 
have tried them, only to give them up. The English farmers, to a 
great extent, feed their turnips on the land as they grow. In 
our own severe climate we have to keep them in pits or cellars. 
We get our seed largelv" from England and sow the English im- 
proved varieties. 
Twenty-nine years ago, I was walking with Mr. Lawes in a turnip 
field at Rothamstead. We came to a part of the field where, up to 
a certain row on the right hand, the turnips were much better and 
larger than on the left hand. “What is the reason?” Tasked. 
■‘Mias one part of the field been, dressed with superphosphate or 
manured more heavily than the other part?” “No, both were 
treated alike, but this fine crop is ‘ Ikerving’s Improved Purple-top 
Swede,’ while the other is a common variety which has been grown 
for some years in this neighborhood. And I wish,” said Mr. Lawes> 
'“you would take a sample from both and analyze them.” I did so, 
and we found the “ improvement ” consisted principally of water* 
The English seed growers have for years made great efforts to im¬ 
prove the varieties of turnips and mangels. They have bred for 
size and shape, and they have attained wonderful success. But the 
increased size is to a large extent merely an increase of water. 
They have got varieties so much improved that they can grow 
eighty-four tons per acre, nearly eighty tons of which is water. 
Npw% in this country, we do not wish to pull up, top, draw home, 
pit and slice up eighty tons of water to get four tons of food. We 
can pump water far cheaper with a wind mill. And turnips and 
mangels will never be generally grown in this country till we begin 
to breed for quality lather than for size. When we can get man¬ 
gel wurzel that contains but little more water than fresh grass or 
fresh clover, we shall then be able to gather, store away, cut and 
feed out the crop at one-third the expense, and the roots would 
keep better. AYe should then be able to grow them for winter and 
early spring use as a substitute for grass. But as long as we are 
caught by size and sound; as long as we select varieties such as 
Norbiton Giant,” because it grows big and has a big iiame, w’e 
