The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1874-07-03
Chr salarietta gonrnal.
Marietta, Georgia, July 3, 1874.
GFor the Marietta Journal.
THE TURNrP CROP.

EDITORS JoURNAL:-With your
permission, will, by request, en-
deavor through your columns as q
medium, tell something of "what |
know about Turnips."
The English, who are our instruc-
tors in this branch of husbandry,
and whose progress in agricultural
science and improved systems of till
age, is far ia advance of ours, de-
vote large portion Of their farms to
root culture, especially the turnip.
In this country where a cowpen,
containing an haff acre sown broad
cast, make up the turpip crop, the
statement may excite surprise, that
one hundred acres in cultivation of
that root in the hands of a single
farmer in Great Britain is by no
means unusual. In many portions
of the oriental countries, and es-
pecially northern Europe where In
dian corn, our great meat producer,
is unknown only as an import, ami
NAL food was luxury rarely in the
reach Of the operative classes until
the culture of roots was extended
and enlarged, now meats in some
shape are within the reach of all
classes, the finest mutton, beet,
cheese and butter are produced in
abundance and to profit. The farm
ers in this country do not fully APP
preciate the value Of roots as sucu-
lent stock-food and in consequence
of which they greatly neglect their
interest in farm economy, and until
they give greater breadth of land
to root culture the tale of their neg
ligence will continue to be told in
poor beef and mutton.
The most profitable root crop that
can be grown in this country is the
turnip, in which the following quali-
ties appear to be united in re-
markable degree, can be produced
in the greatest abundance, at least
cost, with least exertion, in the
shortest space of time, and least
liable to failure under unfavorable
seasons and also capable of preser-
walton for months with little danger
of decay. 4
By rotating with small grain two
crops can be grown annually, and
by proper tillage improve the soil,
as well as increase the crop. The
green manuring after the grain crop
is harvested supplies the soil with
sufficient humus or vegetable mold
to protect and invigorate the turnip
plant in case of drouth. The turnip
in turn like clover supplies the soil
with azotic matter which is the
dominant for wheat, SC. We have
made but poor progress in improved
tiIlage and husbandry until we have
learned to improve our soil as well
as increase the yield of our crops.
Being one of those who committed
the deplorable mistake of planting
all cotton and no corn for my last
year crop | was compelled by the
force of circumstances to make some
shift 10 way Of a fall crop for stock.
food. The following is the result Of
my effort in the experiment upon
the culture of turnips.
On { Of an acre where an oat
crop had been grown the same year,
/ produced an amount of stock food
almost beyond conception. After
supplying several families besides
my own for table use through the
season, ! housed in November more
than three hundred bushels, together
with the tops which are equal to 20
per cent of the roots / fattened my
hogs on cooked turnips, fed moths
ing else, they obtained their fat
sooner than when | fed corn. My
cattle were fed on raw turnips to-
gether with cotton seed. 1 never
had richer milk and butter, nor did
my cattle ever stand the winter bet
ter. In March / sold q yoke Of
working cattle in your town for first
class beef that bad been used all the
winter and were fed on turDips and
cotton seed.
But for fear spin this long enough
to find its way into your waste bas-
ket, | will close by giving the
sMethod Of Cultivation The pre-
parasion of the soil is q prerequisite
to success in the cultivation of any
crop. Slip>shod tillage has failed to
be remunerative. System and meth
cd in farming, as well as in other in
dustrial pursuits, will hereafter alone
pay.
do not favor the custom of plow-
ing the land you expect to plant in
turnips every time it rains during
the summer, but would prefer TO
green manure the first of July
Just before planting time which oc-
ours in this latitude from the first to
the tenth of August, pillow and har-
row the land until it is in fine tiIth,
then draw shallow furrows % feet
apart in which the manure is TO be
spread which should be we'll rotted
cora post, or if commercial fertilizer
or phosphate, with small pillow cast
light ridge on the manure, run a
- 4 1-., LOO. - o,,t@foo@o. 10.