Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1859-07-20
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Rutabaga Turnips--The Great Value
of the Turnlp Crop.

Here we are at the commencement of
July, asking our readers to be busy now
in making preparation for the turnip crop.
We presume, however, that this has been
done in part by thorough cowpenning on
most of the plantations, where it is a good
and universal practice to pen the cattle
during the spring months on the small
lots intended for this crop. This prac-
tice, with frequent plowings, puts the soil
in fine tilth, and the droppings of cattle,
sheep and swine, if regularly subverted,
usually make the land sufficiently rich to
produce fine bulbs. 1t is the proper time,
all in this month, to SOW Rutabagas, and
our preparation of.the soil and mode OF
putting in the seed, is briefly as is practi.
cable, and with each plowing give the
field good narrowing. This is done
once week for month, previous to
planting, and when we are ready to plant,
we bed up the land eighteen inches be-
tween the rows, taking care to have it
done perfectly and evenly. This bed is
then opened with very small plow, and
in the absence of seed drill, q bottle,
with 4 quill inserted in the cork, may be
used to drill the seed. If small guam
tity of ashes is placed with the seed, they
freely fall from the bottle, upon its being
held over the drill-neck downwards-
and giving it good jerking shake at each
step. A careful hand can drill two acres
day in this manner, and little practice
soon enables the operator to thus drop
the proper quantity of seed. We cover
with rake or light brush harrow.
The best manure for turniK 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 a
capital application to the turnip field.
We have used Mape's Improved Super
phosphate of Lime with great success last
season, making an application Of one hun
dred 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 of service to the crop.
Rutabaga turnips require plowing and
hoeing, and speedy thinning is of essen
tial service to this variety. They should
stand at least ten inches apart in the drills,
andhe kept clean of grass and weeds.
We have given these directions for the
cultivation 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
tur,ips. Being of the same habit and
growth of the cabbage, they must be
planted at any seasonable time during the
summer, but we prefer July for the regu-
lar crop.
We hope all our readers will agree
with US, that the turnip crop is one Of
great value, and can be proftsbly grown
even by Southern planters. 1t only re-
quires the proper preparation of the soil,
in most instances, to make very fair tur-
nips. In England this is the farmers
great crop, for on it he feeds his sheep,
fattens his oxen, and even learns his horses,
in measure, to live on Ratabagas. 1t
is economy here to have fine "turnip
PATCH" and we see no reason why SO i'm
portant a culture might not be increased,
and made to fill a gap in our rural econo-
my which should certainly be looked to.
Exchange.