Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1884-08-21
Turnips and Turnip Culture.

Turnips and Tnrnip Culture.
l. While 81 the species and varieties Of
the rurnip may be considered as the
most -swaferys Of cultivated roots, and
3containing q low percentage of nutri-
| tive properties, still they are valuable
| food for most kinds of farm stock. In
winter, when beasts are fed dry fodder,
or at least In great part. the addition
| of 3 few roots of some kind Is bene-
fetal to health. even if they are notoi
| the most nutritious kinds Carrots,
| bee.s, and parsnips are worth more for
feeding than turnips. but they are cost
liar to raise. requiring a richer and
deeper soil, 8 longer season, and q
greater amount of labor IN cultivat alton
and harvesting. Consequently they
have never been as extensively cui-
tivated in this country as the turnip.
There is probably no root crop so easily
and cheaply raised, or one that grows
more rapidly, or in greater variety o.
soil than the turnip. 1t can usually De
grown. as an after crop. following some
earlier one. like peas, beans, early Pc
tatoes, corn, wheat. or rye. 10 prepare
the land il should be freshly plowed,
and. if not rich. be given top dress.
ins of ashes, muriate of potash, super
phosphate, or some similar ierfiilzef.
Harnyard manure, unless very old and
theron .hly rotted, is likely to cause 9
growth of weeds that viii overtop and
crowd the turnlps. Whatever is used
, in the way of fertilizer should be ap-
piled as . top dressing, and then only
narrowed in or mixed with the surface
soil at the time or just prev GUS to SOW
ing the seed. From one to one and q
half pounds of seed is sufficient tor an
acre sown broadcast and considerable
care and skill are re iuired to scatter
the seed evenly over the surface. Some
times the seed is mixed with ashes or
dry earth to increa the bulk, and
thereby assist the sower in making an
even distribution.
The Swede turnips or ruta bagas are
usually sown few weeks earlier than
the flat turnips, as they require little
more tine 10 mature; and on soils
where there is likely to be late growth
of weeds, it is best TO SOW Swedes in
rows and give after cultivation; but we
have often seen excellent crops raised
by sowing broadcast on good clean SOIL
walton can be done mostly with light
cult;vator, and the thinning out when
necessary done with a very narrow
dropped regularly and the plants are in
clumps, then pulling out and thinning
must be done by hand.
An insect called the ''turnip fly, but
in fact small jumping beetle of green
I'll, oh Is RI -
i've, eating the leaves of the small
ground, and unless checked in their
work will very soon destroy all, and of
ten before the farmer is aware of their
presence. When this has happened the
only thing..to do is to resow the field, or
the better way IS to prepare new bed
in some other field. When this insect
is discovered in time, it can usually be
driven away. if not killed. Sometimes
slight dusing of SCOT or wood ashes
will be sufficient to save the plants,
but if the beetles are very numerous
such simple insecticides will often fail,
and others and more power
full ones should be employed.
An excellent insect powder may be
made by using common land plaster as
above; then sprinkling it with either
spirits of turpentine, carbohc acid,
creosc e or strong tar-water; then dry
and pulverize and apply as usual to
the plants early IN the morning when wet
with dew, or just after shower. Paris
gseen, London purple, and similar
poisonous compounds will destroy the
beetles: and while we do not think
there is the least danger from using
such poisons ON the plantsiwhile young,
as all must be washed away and be-
come inert material in the soil before
the turnips would be gathered. still
there are persons who object TO the use
OF such poisons. and would rather not
employ them to kill insects if it can be
avoided.
The fiat Dutch varieties of the fufnip
are less liable to be attacked by insects,
for cool nights and autumn showers are
not favorable to the mnItiplication 81
turnip pests. Neither do weeds grow
as rapidly late in the season. and for
these and other reasons the Hat tnrnips
are the most popular among onr farm
ers They are certainly good and
healthy foed for stock, and very FREE.
quently q few feeds of furnipsa
are worth more for restor-
ing the health of some ailing animal
than the contents of the medicinechestS
In fact, green food of some kind IS :
necessary adjunct 10 the ordinary dry
fodder given to stock in winter, and we
do not know of any kind that can be-
raised cheaper or with less labor than
turnips. 81. &
In storing tt,rnips for winter use,
some care is required to prevent the
bulbs heating and rotting, and narrow
pits inside in a dry spot are preferable
as storage place to ordinary cellars.
In storing turnips in cellars, the far too
common practice is to place them in
large heaps, with no arrangement for
ventilation from the bottom and while
the bull s on the top may be kept cool
and remain sound, those at the bottom
may be heating and decayiIg. If the
turnips were placed on an open plat
form raised four inches from the bottom
of the cellar, ventilation would be Sc
cured. Where this is not practicable,
few empty barrels should be set on
the cellar bottom. and the turnips Piled
in about them. These barrels wOlld in
measure allow the heated air from
the bottom of the cellar to escape
N. =. San.
Getting ON in the World.
For some. this is the easiest thing
i'm piDa fle. for III hers fhe most HI III