The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1870-07-14
From the Southern Farm and Home.

From the Southern Farm and Home.
Turnips.
In England, where the science of agriculture
has reached higher degree of perfection than
in any other part of the world, there is no more
important crop than turnips. So much so that
it has been said that England could bear better
the failure of the Bank of England than the loss
of the turnip crop for two successive years.
This seems to be an extravagant statement, but
it is not so much so as it appears, because on
the success or failure of this crop depends, In a
great measure, the agricultural operations OF the
country, turnips being one OF the chief articles
of food for stock, one of the main features OF
the rotation system, and the basis of most of
the farm yard manure, which contributes main
ly to the great fertility of English farms.
Beyond "patch," varying in size from an
acre down to quarter or eighth of an acre, very
few Southern farmers grow any turnlps, and
even this is scratched over, sowl broadcast, and
only thinned as the roots are pulled for use or
for "greens." There are few exceptions, but
they are very few
The great value of this crop is in feeding stock,
in the increased number of stock which its pro-
duction enables farmers to keep, in the large re-
turns which it gives to the land in the shape OF
manure, whether fed to sheep or cattle .penned
upon the PATCH or in stalls or yards, in Its mix
ture with dry food making the dry food more
beneficial than it would be by itself, and IN the
clean cultivation which it causes, thus preparing
the land in the best way for the crops which fol-
low it.
The land for turnips cannot be too often or to
deeply broken and pulverized, or too heavily
manured. The seed, from 24 to lbs. to the
acre) should be sown in drills from feet to II
inches apart. The manure, stable manure or
super-phosphate should be distributed in the
drills at the rate of 400 to 500 lbs. per acre,
covered with the plow, and the beds or ridges
then flattened with roller, which could be so
constructed as to roll two or three beds at
time. The seed should then be sown with
seed drill, which opens, drops the seed, covers
and rolls at one operation. This Is vastly pre-
ferable to a broadcast sowing which is now
almost entirely abandoned by good farmers
When sown in drills they can be chopped out
and cultivated exactly like cotton, leaving the
plants at the last hoeing II inches apart in the
rows for Ruta Bagas or Swedes, and 9 inches
for other kinds.
The most substantial, most easily kept, and
least liable to rot is the Ruta Baga. The Red
Tops, Norfolks, White Globe, and Yellow Aber-
deem are all good varieties, but we think that
for stock the Ruta Baga is the best.
The Ruta Bagas should be sown from the
the middle of July to the 10th of August, and the
other kinds may be sown from the middle of
August to the lst of October. The seeds should
be sown in dry earth, just before rain, if pos
sible, and when we'll mp, they should be sided
with coulter and chopped out precisely as
cotton is worked the first time.
The great danger to this crop is the fly. 1t
often attacks the plant as soon as the rst leaves
expand and often destroys the crop. Liberal
sowing and rapid growth has been found to be
the best defence against the fly; but the appli-.
cation of lime, ashes or soot or a mixture OF
all together, to. the leaves, when the dew is on
them, has been found efectual.
The turnips may be left in the field all the
winter and pulled as they are needed, or if the
land be wanted for grain crop, they can be
safety kept in banks like sweet potatoes.
With good preparation of the ground, care
full sowing, reliable seed, and thorough after
culture, from 800 to 1000 bushels of Ruta Bagas,
NAV be produced, which it is estimated are
equivalent to tons of the best timothy hay
Crops of this size have been frequently raised,
and we have recently read accounts given by
farmers in New England where as many as l5OO
bushels have been raised. Cannot Southern
farmers do as much if they try? We believe
they can, and can thus make themselves indie
peudent of that Northern and Western hay,
ing this Spring, at $500 to $3.50 per cwt. We
would impress them with the great value of this
crop, in the abundant supply of rich, succulent
food which it affords for their stock during the
winter, in its benefit to the health of the stock
and its fattening properties, to the means which
it supplies to keep more stock and lastly in the
large heaps of stable manure which it produces
for the improvement of the farm and the in
crease of all other crops. These have been the
result of the turnip crop in England and Scot
land, where it is now regarded universally as
''the foundation of improved husbandry." We
believe that the Southern planters would derive
similar advantages from it, and find ample COM
pensaton for the expense and labor which it
requires. ,
an acre Or two close to his house which he can
devote to turnips. Let the patch be plowed, re-
plowed cross plowed and narrowed. Purchase
three or four pounds of good Ruta Baga seed,
five or six hundred pounds of good superphos-
phate, SOW the seed US above directed from the
Doth to 31st of this month, give them the same
cultivation as you have given cotton, and Prov
idencc willing, there will be no necessity for
ANYBODY who tries it to send his hands and
teams to the depot next spring to haul home
Northern hay to save his stock from starvation.
A SUBSTITUTE FOR THE TELEGRApH.-The
following wonderful statement will be read with
interest by those who watch the actual progress
of science:
Connected with the telegraph in Great Bri-
tain, which, as our readers are aware, is now
under the exclusive management of the Gov
ernment, is system of pneumatic tubes by
which letters are conveyed almost with the
speed of lightning. How extensive this sys-
tenn is, we have no means of knowing. Indeed,
we were not aware of its existence at all until
within day or two when We were astounded
by the information, through private letter
from Glasgow, that the original manuscript copy
of dispatch had actually been transmitted