Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-09-04
Putting in Turnips.

much about putting III the tuFuip SAOP NS
we do-in many cases he may know
more. But in almost any country there
are novices taking hold Of, to the m, a
new crop, and some of these may and
what we are about to say relative to tur-
min culture entirely worthy of their at
tention.
The turnfp requires a deeply worked
and mellow soil. On our waGy lands
tins means soil containing goodly
proportion OF well decomposed vegetable
matter. or what this decOmposed veg
a,able matter is composed does not make
any very material difference. Its main
ofice ia 10 render the soil open and fri
able. q condition which cannot exist
with our heavy soils without the addition
of vegetable matter. If the soil be
turned up in its natural state without
This vegetable matter in it the heavy
rains soon packs 1t, to be followed by
eubspoueut 'crackling'' of the surface,
which ia invariably against securing
good stand of turnips. Stable or cowlot
manure worked into the soil has better
effect. for turnips, than almost any
thing else. The land may be naturally
ricb enough not to need mGnuring, so
for ss relates to the mineral elements OF
nIent food. but all lands deficient in
vegetable matter need humsu, which Is
che outgrowth of deComposed vegetable
substanres. Weeds or other litter
tnrned into the soil answer a very good
nurDose. but for the turnIp patch the
turniug in should have been attended TO
months ago to give the weeds or litter
time to rot.
Another thing too much neglected is
frming the soil after the seed has been
sown aud raked or brushed under.
Firmiug'' means packing. Ii we SOW
the seeds in open soil and leave them
that way they will seldom terminate and
establish plants, unless there happens 10
be Oh at the very nick of time what we
call "a good season. - Plenty of ralu
Immediately after the sowing may give
us good stand, but without this the
chances of getting stand are largely
against us. The dews OF night Will
cause the seeds to swell and the hot sum
shine following in the next day VIII dry
the soil ali around them above ana below
literally cooking the seeds as 1t were.
If IL SO happens that the seeds, soWn III
season, do germinate and start up little
plnuts. the dry weather will afterwards
take the moisture from the soil TO such
depth that the plants will be parched
ard killed before they can put
taproot down to the regions of
reyular moisture, There Is something
very peculiar in the drying out OF our
Texas waxy soils in a natural condition.
1t cracks square down in drOuth to the
depth of several inches, the cracks be-
ing about as near each other as they
could we'll be placed. They ruu in all
directions, When these cracks have
gone down to the subsoil there comes
change in the programmes new set OF
era ks start running horizontally. As
result the surface is so cut up ana so
completely severed from the subsOil that
you may take very young turnlp plant
By the top and lift it out without the
pulling lose of anything. 1t Is simply
citing in little dry olOd, not larger
than the end of the fl ger, and has no
connection whatever with the main soil
below. Under such circumstances it
could not do otherwise than speedily sue
cumb for lack of moisture, of course.
But an abundance of vegetable matter
in the soil and thorough hrming at the
time of sowing the seeds prevents all
this. Soil made rich in humus will not
crack AS described, and firminS packs II
so as favor capillary attraction OF moist
urs from below. The dry atmosphere
cannot pass into n packed soil, and thus
the seeds are saved from cooking after
beginning to swell preparatory 10 germ
nation. Furthermore, it enables the
Young plants, after termination, 10 So
cure firm footing into the moist soil be
low ere the effects of drouth have passed
beneath them.
hna vs1I1a vs. a Il
Immediately after narrowing aud sowing
the seed is the best method for tirming
the soil II a roller be not convenient
then Il drag made by Stating boards to-
gether like an ordinary barn door and
weighing it down with stones answers a
very good purpose. This can be dragged
about over the ground until the soil is
reasonably well packed. In case where
only few rows of turnips are put in
for family use one may pack the soil
with the feet by trampiug along the
drills But in any case packing the soil
over the seeds Is the all-important thing
for crop of fall turnips. Pack Is the
word-get the soil down upon the seeds
rs firmly as you eau; there is no kind of
danger OF getting it packed too hard.
Georgia claims the honor OF having
first discovered the need OF fiIming the |
soil over the seed for successful turnip
cuIturs in the Southern states, and al
most any old Georgian will tell you how |
the discovery was made. 1t runs that Il
prominent old planter in "days before |
the war; sowed an acre or so of land to |
turnips. The turnip patch laid directly |
between his barn aud his negro quarters. |
One night soon after the turnip seed had |
been sown q dozen very fine chickens
mysterious disappeared from the barn.
The Old man hauled up NIL his negroes
about il, but not one of them knew thing
with reference to those unfortunate
fowls, so the matter dropped, since
there was nothing else for it TO do.
The season was very dry. and as a
consequence the turnips didn t come up.
Early one morning week or SO after the
theft old Ned. trusty old darkey, and
Aunt Hannah, his wife, appeared at the
master 5 residence and with great show
OF contrition, acknowledged that they
had taken the chickens. The master
could scarcely believe his own ears, but
finally he id:
'weli, Ned, why did you deny the
theft at first and are now owning up to
r?''
sits all de work Of de Lawd, Msssa-
de Lawd is got arter US erbout it. -
"How Is that?"
"Come an see, - SAID Ned, and he