Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1873-08-08
Ghe farm.
Sowing Turnips.

Of late years there has been given
more attention to the culture of tur-
nips by those who live in the vicinity
of large cities than was formerly the
case; and we are glad to find that it is
80, for there is no better sign of pros
porous farm, than field of first-class
turnips. It shows at once that he who
raises them does not altogether depend
on grain raising, and also that he
knows how to keep up the fertility of
his soil, for one may as well expect
to gather figs from thistles or grapes
from thorns as to- have good crop of
turnips off of piece of poor land.
At the same time it will bear re-
mark, that turnip-culture is not at
tended to with that degree of thought
full skill which aims to produce the
best results with the least expenditure
Of labor and skill and the consequence
is that many turnip-crop cost more
in labor than the whole thing is worth.
It is often said that the labor of put
ting and topping costs more or as much
as the turnips bring, but this is chief
ly owing to the small size of the roots.
Of course it takes less than one-half
the time to work bushel of large size
than it does small ones. It is worth
little extra care therefore to get them
all as near as possible of full size.
The trouble with many is that they
fear the seed may not be all good, and
hence it is soWn much more thickly
than it ought to be, but the proper
way is to test the seed before sowing
and then SOW Understandings. 1t is
a common belief that turnip seed will
grow after being many years old. Some
Of it will, but experiment has shown
that of a hundred seeds which will
grow when one year old, some will not
grow the second, and more the third.
The older it is the worse it is. If
therefore good fresh seed is to be
had, it need not be sown any thicker
than desirable on this account. Again
some fear losses by the fly; but if seed
be sown as it ought to be on rich soil,
it usually grows faster than the fly can
eat it. At any rate the fly is as like
-ly to destroy it when thickly as when
thinly sown. It is much better to risk
a thin crop, than to have so much la
Dor brought about by too thick sow
ing.
Some have found it to pay best when
labor is readily to hand to sow thick,
and then hoe out to suit, so that each
turnip has about its proper distance to
grow. They contend that no more Ia
Dor is expended in this way, than is
usually done in handling and topping
so many small ones, while the result
is a crop of which "anyone may be
proud"
We believe that it is generally con-
coded that the white trlrnip is best
sown broadcast, as in drills they get
too large and "pithy." The ruta- baga,
however, never get too large with us,
and thus drill-culture is employed ex-
clusively for it. For the same reason
it is sown in July, while for the ordi-
nary turnip August, or even early in
September, is quite time enough for it.
Besides the evidence of prosperity
which good turnip-culture affords, a
crop of turnips is in itself a means of
prosperity, for there is nothing more
useful where a number of cows OF
sheep are kept. Dry cows can almost
live on them; and by proper timing
the food, they can be given to mich
COWS without any danger of, f1avoring
the mike Germantown Telegraph.