American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1865-08-02
5Ite 5armtrs department.
The Culture of the Turnip,

for, although at one time there were
advocates for sowing the seed broad
cast, yet it was a system which SO
thoroughly interfered with the culti-
walton of the land, that it has been
gadually superseded. The width be-
tween the rows varies considerably
say from 18 to % inches. The more
usual width for swedes, and that which
appears to yield the heaviest crops,
ranges from "a to 27 inches but in
this respect, no absolute rule can be
laid down. as the width must be inhu-
ence1 by Inequality of the land and
the time of sowing. 1t il desirable
on the lighter description of soils, to
drill at moderate width-say "A
nches-and to allow the roots to re-
main closer in the rows than upon the
heavier soils, as it is found a deal bet
ter to secure the weight Of crop by
moderate-sized but more numerous
nutritive roots for, although upon
strong soils large roots can be pro
duced of the best quality, still, upon
the lighter soils, there is seldom suiii-
cient strength to produce roots of
equal value as for food. Another
reason which might he advanced for
the greater width of the drills on the
heavier class of soils is, the incrcas-
ed difficulty in cleaning such land,
and the general use of the horse hoe.
The depth at which the seed is buri-
ed should be carefully watched. for,
if it gets covered too deeply much Of
the seed is lost: it is quite sufficient
for the process Of vegetation if the
seed be covered in the ligatest man
ner possible, and hence the great i'm
portance of having the surface of
the land in fine condition. There is
considerable difference Of opinion as
to the best time for sowing turnips
and swedes F.; each district has its re-
puted best days for sowing, and, rs a
rule, the experience of each locality
may be accepted as the safest guide.
1t is certain that peculiarities in the
the soil and climate exert a powerful
influence upon these crops. The
chief object to be attained is o get
the crop as forward as possible with
out allowing it to become so advanc-
ed that the late autumn growth shall
be prematurely checked. We have
already noticed how important it is
for the soil to be reduced to a very
fine condition before the rowing of
the seed; but there is another point
to which it is adv sable to draw at
tention, for the moisture of the soil
has a very powerful influence on the
early growth of the plant as we'll as
upon its continuous development. In
ordinary seasons the usual method of
sowing the seed, as sooon as the til
lage operations are completed, ap-
pears to answer satisfactorily; but
when the seasons are unusually dry,
there is a great advantage gained by
modifying this mode of procedure,
and it is practice which has been
extensively adopt d on many Of our
best managed light-land farms. The
land having been ridged and rolled,
the manure is spread over the surface
and the ridges are then split back
again and rolled ready for receiving
the seed, but, instead of sowing the
seed imme diately, as is the general
custom, it is delayed for twelve or
fourteen days. There are one or two
reasons for this practice which are
worthy of notice. The C iof induce
mcnt is to give time, so as to enable
the natnra moisture of the land to
rise into the recently-worked il
If you examine short y after it has
been worked in dry weather, you find
moist layer of ca til on the surface
of the ridge which covers up dry
layer beneath. When tie seed is
sown npon such a ridge the moisture
of the upper soil causes the seed
to sprout and, as it, roots pierce in
to the ground beneath they enter a
drier SOIL, from which they can pre-
cure no moisture, and therefore no
nourishment. This causes "a che k
in the growth just when the turnip
beetle is busy at work: and: unless
there should happen to be f Il OF
rain, the crop is sacrificed, or, at any
rate, seriously injured. But when
the ridges have been ready for sow
ing twelve or fourteen days, general
ly the moisture Of the sol will have
risen to the ridge, and no such check
can arise, but if the the land should
be too dry for the seed to sprout there
it waits for rain, and when the sup
ply comes, it grows as if it were in a
hot-bed. Under such circumstances
it is q matter of no Importance how
dry the surface may be at sowing.
Should the surface soil be moist
enough to make the seed sprout, its
roots find an increasing supply of
moisture the deeper they go. We
have known similar system most
successfully carried out when the
turnips were going to be sown on the