026 
gated and stated. When plants were old and 
predisposed to run to seed before transplanting, 
they were thrown aside; and transplanted roots, 
when flowering, were usually looked upon as lost, 
and pulled up or allowed to run to waste. What 
in Mr. Johnstone’s case had secured success? 
Was it his having saved his seed early so as to 
predispose to flowering, and then, taking them 
up, transplanting them shortly before flowering, 
and cutting them immediately after they had 
come into flower? As to the bulbing of the 
plant, too, was its regularity and success influ- 
enced by the cutting of the stem close down, 
say about half an inch from the turnip? It was 
very clear that if this practice could be adopted 
as easily and cheaply as practised by Mr. John- 
stone, the system of turnip cropping would be 
revolutionised completely ; the growing of rape 
and other green foods would be dispensed with ; 
as the turnip, so transplanted, could be put in so 
as to afford most abundant and nutritious green 
food for cattle and pigs during summer as well 
as large roots as food for winter.” 
The Raising of Turnip Seed.—Good turnip 
seed is obtained, in small quantity, only from 
transplanted, large-bulbed, vigorous plants,—and 
in large quantity, from an untransplanted crop 
raised immediately from the seeds of such plants ; 
and, in order to its being true to the variety, or 
unaffected by indefinite natural hybridizing, it 
must be raised, from first to last, in a situation 
which cannot be reached by the pollen of any 
other kind of turnip, or by that of cabbage, 
borecole, rape, or any other kind of brassica. 
See the article Brassica. The seed of a turnip 
plant, which runs up to flower without previous 
transplantation, is generally more or less degene- 
rate; and that of even a carefully transplanted 
and perfectly suitable turnip-plant, which flowers 
in the vicinity of some other sort of brassica, is 
very liable to be injuriously hybridized. The 
proper time for transplanting is the month of 
February. 
Persons who professionally raise turnip-seed 
in large quantities for the market annually select 
from a growing crop a number of the best-formed 
and most healthy roots, and transplant them into 
a plot of finely tilled and well-manured soil. The 
roots are placed in regular rows, by hand, in 
hollow drills, previously made by the plough; 
and the intermediate ridgelets are split open to 
cover them, leaving the crowns bare. No par- 
ticular after-culture is given, except to keep the 
ground free from weeds, by means of the hoe. 
When the pods fill and the seed begins to harden, 
the crop must be carefully watched, to prevent 
the depredations of small birds; and the stalks 
ought to be cut before the seed is completely 
ripe, as in that state the pods are extremely apt 
to split open in handling, and to spill the seed. 
When the stems are sufficiently dried, either the 
crop may be thrashed out immediately, and the 
seed put into a dry granary, or the crop may be 
TURNIP. 
secured in ordinary ricks, carefully thatched like 
corn-stacks, and thrashed out in spring. The 
produce of this transplanted crop is sown in the 
succeeding year, and is not transplanted; and 
the seed of this second crop is saved for sale, and 
is then sold under the name of transplanted 
turnip-seed. Thus, having two breaks of seed 
turnips, the cultivator may always keep up a 
stock of excellent seed; and so also may every 
farmer who chooses to take the trouble to go 
through the process for himself. But the seed 
per acre is so cheap, as hardly to be worth the 
necessary pains and attention, except to those 
who do it to some considerable extent for sale. 
One acre of ground may produce to the value of 
£50; but any considerable extension of the cul- 
ture would soon greatly overstock the markets. 
Farmers, however, who raise their own seed, be- 
sides saving the price, have this additional ad- 
vantage, that they are always sure to obtain 
good sorts; and those also who possess a rare or 
very excellent variety may do well to raise their 
own seeds of it, rather than incur the risk of not 
obtaining it genuine from a seedsman, or perhaps 
of not obtaining it at all. 
The Chemical Composition of Turnips——Both 
the entire chemical constitution of the bulb of 
Swedish turnips, and the manner in which it is 
affected by the circumstances of growth and cul- 
ture, were formerly noticed in the section on 
the manuring of turnips. The comparative nu- 
tritiousness of the bulb of some of the principal 
varieties may be understood from the following 
statement :—64 drachms of Swedish turnip af- 
ford 110 grains of nutritive matter, 64 drachms 
of stone turnip afford 85 grains, 64 drachms of 
white round turnip afford 83 grains, 64 drachms 
of white globe or white loaf turnip contain 80 
grains, and 64 drachms of white tankard turnip 
contain 76 grains. “Turnip,” says Boussingault, 
speaking apparently of the common white varie- 
ties, “is the most watery root I have examined. 
A slice weighing 2 oz. 17 dwts. dried in the 
stove, was reduced to 4 dwts. After thorough 
desiccation, one of turnip weighed 0:075; conse- 
quently the root contains 92°5 per cent. of wa- 
ter. One of dried turnip incinerated left 0:0758 
of ash; and the composition of the whole was 
42'8 per cent. of carbon, 5°54 of hydrogen, 42°4 
of oxygen, 1°68 of azote, and 7°58 of ash.” But 
both the proportion of water, and the quality as 
well as the amount of the nutritive matter, in 
any variety, from the hardest swede down to 
the softest globe or tankard, are very consider- 
ably affected by soil, climate, weather, manure, 
culture, and stage of maturity. 
The chemical composition of turnip leaves, 
both absolutely and at successive stages of 
growth, is an interesting subject of enquiry in 
connection with the hope which now exists of 
the capability of the plant being so managed as 
to yield a succession of cuttings of green forage ; 
and though this has not yet, so far as we know, 
