Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-07-23
FARM AND GARDEN.
TURNIPS.

culture has reached higher degree o
/ perfection than in any other part of tn
world, there is no more important GRO
than turnips. So much so that it has bee
said that England could bear better tn
failure of the Bank of England than tn
loss of the turnip crop for two successive
| years. This seems to be an extravagan
statement, but it is not so much so as i
appears because on the success or failur
of this crop depends, in great measure
the agricultural operations of the country
turnips being one of the chief articles o.
| food for stock, one of the main features
of the rotation system, and the basis Of
most of the farm yard manure, which
contributes mainly to the great fertility
of English. farms.
Beyond "patch, f" varying in size from
an acre down to quarter or eighth of an
acre, very few Southern farmers grow any
turnips, and even this is scratched over,
sown broadcast, and only thinned as the
roots are pulled for use or for "greens. y
There are few exceptions, but they are
very few.
The great value of this crop is in feed
ing stock, in the increased number of
stock which its production enables farm
ers to keep, in the large returns 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
It's mixture 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 Of
ten or too deepg-broken and pulyerized,
or too heavily MANFRED. The seed (from
q to 8 lbs. TO the acre. should be s0wn
in drills from 2 feet to q inches apart
The manure, stable manure or super phos-
phate, should be distributed in the drills
at the rate of 400 to $40 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 a seed drill, which
"opens, drops the seed, covers and rolls at
one operation. This is vastly preferable
to the broadcast sowing, which is now
almost entirely abandoned by good farm
ers. When sown in drills, they can be
chopped out and cultivated exactly like
cotton, leaving the plants at the last hoe
ing II inches apart in the lows for ruta
bagas or Swedes, and 9 inches for 9TH
er kinds.
The most substantial, most easily kept
or fn 10 bn 20 ho
The red tops, Norfolks, white globe and
yellow Aberdeen are all good varieties,
but we think that for stock the ruta baga
is the best.
The ruta bagas should be sown from
the middle of July to the 10th of August,
and the other kinds may be sown from
the middle of August to the 1st of Octo-
Der. The seed should be soon in dry
earth, just before rain, if possible, and
when well up they should be sided with a
coulter aud chopped out precisely as cot
ton is worked the first time.
The great danger to this crop is the
fly. 1t often attacks the plant as soon as
the first leaves expand and often DESTROYS
the crop. Liberal sowing and rapid
growth have been found to be the best
defence against the fly; but the applica-
ton of lime, ashes or SCOT, or a mixture
of all together, to the leaves, when the
dew is on them, has been found eff
fectual.
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 safely kept in banks, like
sweet potatoes.
With good preparation of the ground,
careful sowing, reliable seed and
after-culture, from 500 to l 200
bushels of ruta bagas may be produced,
which, it is estimated, are equal to seven
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 1900 bushels have been raised. Can
not Southern farmers do as much if they
Lryl We believe they can, and thus
make themselves Independent of that
Northern and Western hay, which we
have been so panied to see them hauling
his spring at 81 to $3.50 per cwt. We
would impress them with the great value
IF this crop in the abundant supply of
'ich, succulent food for their stock during
he winter, in its benefit to the health of
he stock and its fattening properties,
n the means which it supplies to keep
more stock, and lastly, in the large heaps
If stable manure which it produces for
Improvement of the farm and the in
;rease Of all other crops These have
Ieen the result of the turnip crop in
England and Scotland. where it is now
'egarded universally as ''the foundation
If improved husbandry." We believe
hat the Southern planters would derive |
similar advantages from it, and find ample |
for the expense and labor
which it requires.
Now is the time to prepare. Everybody
las an acre or two close to his honse which |
le can devote to turnips. Let the patch
,e plowed, re-plowed, cross plowed and |
narrowed. Purchase three or four pounds |
# good ruta baga seed, five or six hundred
pounds of good super phosphates SOW the |
eeds as above directed from the Goth to |
LIST of this month, give them the same
ultivation as you have given cotton and
Providence willing, there will be no neces- |
ity for anybody who tries it to send his
ands and teams to the depot next spring
o haul home Northern hay to save his |
took from arvation.-SOut1teTB Farm and
Tome for july.