Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1857-07-16
farmers department.
THE TURNIP CROP.

Here we are at the commencement of July,
asking our readers to be busy now in making
preparation for the turnip crop. We pre-
sumo, however, that this has been done in
part by thorough ow-penning on most of the
plantations, where it is good and universal
practice to pen the cattle during the spring
months on the small lots intended for this
crop. This practice, with frequent plow-
ings, puts the soil in fine tilth, and the drop
pings of cattle, sheep and swine, if regular
ly subverted, usually make the land sufficient
ly rich to produce fine bulbs. 1t is the
proper time, all in this month, to SOW Ruta-
bagas, and our preparation of the soil and
mode of putting in the seed, is briefly as fol-
lows We plow as deep and thoroughly as is
practicable, and with each plowing give the
field good narrowing. This is done once
week for a month previous to planting, and
when we are ready to plant, we bed up the
land eighteen inches between the rows, ia
king care to have it done perfectly and
evenly. This bed is then opened with
very small plow, and in the absence of seed
drill, bottle, with quill inserted in the
cork, may be used to drill the seed, If a
small quantity of ashes is placed with the
seed, they freely fall from the bottle, upon
its being held over the drill-neck down.
wards-and giving it good jerking shake
ut each step. A careful hand can drill two
acres day in this manner, and little prac'
tice soon enables the operator to thus drop
the proper quantity of seed We cover with
a rake or light brush harrow.
The best manure for turnips is bone dust
or leached ashes. A good compost may be
made by using guano, peat-earth, and ashes.
This, when properly tempered with charcoal,
pulverized very finely, is capital applica-
tion to the turnip field. We have used
Mape's Improved Superphosphate of Lime
with great success last season, making an
application of one hundred and sixty pounds
to the acre. The turnip tribe of plants are
all great feeders, and if any coarse manure
is buried in the field, it will be ofservice to
the crop. Rutabaga turnips require plow-
ing and hoeing, and speedy thinning is of es-
sential service to this variety. They should
stand at least ten inches apart in the drills,
and be kept clean of grass and weeds. We
have given these directions for the cultiva-
ton of Rutabagas, because we consider them
the most valuable of the turnip family
They stand the winters frost better than
white turnips, and can be fed off the land
without housing or growing pithy. They
require too, to be planted one month earlier
than common turnips. Being .he same
habit and growth of the cabbage, they must
be planted at any seasonable time during the
summer, but we prefer July for the regular
crop.
We hope all our readers will agree with
us, that the turnip crop is one of greatvalue,
and can be proftably grown even by South
ern planters. 1t only requires the proper
preparation of the soil, in most instances, to
make very fair turnips. In England this is
the farmers great crop, for on it he feeds his
sheep, fattens his oxen, and even learns his
horses, in a measure, to live on Rutabagas.
1t is economy here to have fine "turnip
patch," and we see no reason why so impor-
tant culture might not be increased, and
made to fill gap in our rural economy which
should certainly be looked to.
Soak the seed from II to "a hours in fish
oil then drain the oil off the seed, and mix
ashes with the seed until they are entirely
separated, Seed thus soaked germinate
quicker than do unsoaked seed, while the
smell of the oil is repcllant to insects.
So soon as the plants come up, give them
busting of ashes, or SCOT, or mixture of
both. Repeat this each morning early,
while the leaves are wet with dew until the
plants get into the rough leaf.