HOW TO GROW TURNIPS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1394, 2 December 1884, Page 2

HOW TO GROW TURNIPS.

The above was the title of a very interesting paper read by Mr John Falconer at a recent meeting of the Oamaru Farmers’ Club, the following report of which appears in the North Otago Times : —Mr Falconer began by referring to the status of the turnip as a root crop amongst the Romans. He then spoke of the regard in which it was held in England during the Middle and of its position at the present time in various European countries and amongst our selves. He then dealt at considerable length with the various methods of preparing land for a turnip crop, and coming to the subject of manures, he said : The quantity and kind of manure to be used must be left to each farmer’s experience. If the land be poor, either naturally or by over cropping, you can have no better opportunity to show it your kindness. All crops to be removed from the land should have more liberal treatment than those which are to be consumed on it The fields adjoining the homestead may be well manured from the farmyard by way of | being convenient for carting, while for the fields that are remote from the homestead, artificial ures may bo use ! with beneficial effect to the crop, thereby causing a saving of labor to a large extent in the way of carting. If farmyard manure is to be used, I would prefer it to be ploughed in during the first ploughing, so that'by the time of spring it will have got thoroughly incorporated with the soil, being ready to be laid hold of by the young roots in search of food and moisture. The quantity usually allowed is from ten to twelve tons per acre. Artificial manures are generally applied at sowing time, and as there is diversity of opinion which of them is the best, I will mention a few, leaving the choice of the kind that would be suitable for his farm to the owner. Bone dust—its action on the soil and its power to produce a large turnip crop—is known among farmers, and the quantity allowed per acre is about 16 bushels. Being a heat producer, the smaller it is ground the more active it is as a manure, as it will then mix intimately and quickly with the soil; while on the other hand if rough bones are used they remain longer in the soil undecomposed, and produce less immediate effect. On that account bone dust is the more valuable manure for turnips, and the rough kinds for cereals. Then guano, we are aware, has proved itself an excellent manure for turnips, and being as easily applied as bone dust it, as a rule, is more applicable to most classes of soil. The quantity allowed per acre is about 400owt. for grain crops, while if the farmyard manure is applied as part, half of the above quantity will be sufficient. Keeping in mind that when it is applied with the farmyard manure the soil receives different treatment than when bone dust is applied ; the dung having been spread in the drills, the grass seed harrows should be drawn once along the drills, which will draw some soil off them upon the dung. The guano is then sown by hand over the ground, the quantity as stated above ; after which the drills are then set up, the land thou being ready for the seed. While the great aim of the agriculturalist in growing turnips ought to be to obtain them of the best quality, this can only be done by a liberal use of phosphatio manures—bones, and in fact phosphate of lime, sown not too deep. I do not intend stating the mode of drilling the land, but will just state that thirty inches from drill to drill is a fair distance, and the quantity of seed required per acre—say for Swedes —is 3lbs ; in other varieties 2£ lbs will do, but when being sown broadcast slb will be sufficient; and where the crop is to be fed off with sheep, the broadcast system will be suitable. In regard to the varieties which are the best kind to grow, a great deal depends upon the quality of the land, the climate, and district; also the purpose for which the crop may be required—whether for drawing for immediate use, for storing, or for consumption on the land. My opinion is, onrgood land in a state of high cultivation, a crop of Swedes would be the most remunerative to the grower for fattening either cattle or sheep. The purple and green-top yellows are allowed to be good hardy sorts that will. stand through the winter, but when turnips are grown extensively the farmer will do well to sow for early feed a patch of some whitefleshed variety. The white globe and the Pomeranian globe are good, including the hybrids and many others which I would recommend that every farmer should grow. The time for sowing Swedes would be the month of November; for white-fleshed and yellows, December, for full crops ; while I have known a good crop to have been obtained from seed sown as late as the second week of January. I would here point out that it baa been found to be a good practice to have the turnip land ready for the seed—■ say twelve days before sowing ; it allows - f its becoming consolidated, and during 9 that period millions of insect larrse will have come into existence, taking unto themselves wings and flying away, thereby enhancing the success of the crop considerably. The surface of the soil having [ bean finely pulverised, and being in. a dry state, th a seed should be cast into its bed and rolled immediately, for if delayed the fate of the crop may be affected for the worse. On the other hand the disuse of the roller causes inconvenience in the singling, so that it is worthy of consideration, whether the inconvenience is so great as to make it advisable to defer the rolling altogether. But if convinced of the utility of rolling after the seed is sown, the benefits to be derived are as follows ; —The smoothing and compressing of the top of the drills is not only to prevent the draught reaching beyond the surface of ;he ground, which in both light aud

strong soils is an advantage, but to render the singling of the young turnips more easy and certain, for after the sides of the drill have been pared by the scufflar it will be found that the turnip plants are much more easily singled than when left in a rough state with a rut, and that at a much earlier stage than otherwise. Having the crop singled when young tends greatly to the superiority of the future crop, and having the land comparatively clear of weeds at

time of sowing. The farmer during the process of preparing his land for this most valuable root is looking forward to the time when they will have enemies to war against, and although their varieties may not be legion, yet their numbers are. The first of these that infests the turnip, and attacks its seed leaves, is the fleabeetle, wrongly called the turnip fly, which is quite a different sort of insect. The flea-beetle is a hard shelled insect scarcelyth of an inch in length, is smooth, shining, and of black color ; while its favorite food is the young plant just as it is beginning to unfold its cotyledon leaves, st ipping the field of its crop in a very short time. But the insect which com-

mits the greatest havoc qa the turnip is known as the saw fly. It is denominated the saw fly from the use and appearance of the instrument with which it deposits its eggs. But to continue giving a list of the many varieties that have to be dreaded, and the different means recommended to deal with their attacks would make his paper »f too great a length, and I will conclude by saying that, in gaining experience on agricultural matters one would do well to observe h}a neighbor's practice -and he effec.a that follow it, whether ho has the reputation 01 being clever or not; paying attention to what i tie do i or recommen is, and selecting j on y such of his modes as are suitable to I one's own circumstances, 1