Page:The family kitchen gardener - containing plain and accurate descriptions of all the different species and varieties of culinary vegetables (IA familykitchengar56buis).pdf/137

 The following are the relative nutritive properties of the Swede and Garden or Field Turnips:

4 oz. Swede Turnip afford 110 grs. nutritive matter.

4 oz. Dutch or Garden afford 85 grs. nutritive matter.

.—The soil most genial for the Turnip is acknowledged to be a gravelly, sandy loam. Some say “poor soil, where no other vegetables will grow,” is the best: I say, good rich soil, with a dry bottom. In such sow for an early crop as soon as the frost is out of the ground, either broadcast or in drills, ten inches apart and one-fourth of an inch deep. An ounce of seed will sow a bed four feet wide and forty feet long. Rake the surface even. If dry weather, press the ground with the back of the spade or a light wooden roller. One sowing only can be made in the Spring. From the middle to the end of July is the proper time for sowing the Swede or Rutabaga. Drills are most suitable for this sort. Draw them fifteen inches apart, and thin out the plants as they grow, till they stand eight inches from each other. This variety requires very frequent use of the hoe in stirring the soil, to keep it sweet and encourage the growth requisite to mature this best and most nutritious of Turnips. In August sow the other sorts for a Fall and Winter supply. It is best to make two sowings, say about the first and towards the middle or end of the month; roll or tramp firm the ground after the seed at this period of the year—the first sowing to mature early for immediate use, the last sowing to store away for a Winter supply. In some seasons we have to sow, and sow, and sow again, either from drought or the effects of the fly, which frequently destroys it as soon as it vegetates; in dry seasons it is particularly destructive. In garden culture, a few pots of water every evening will promote the growth of the seed, and bring it speedily away from the attacks of the fly. One thing must be observed to have the ground always fresh dug before sowing. Soot, wood-ashes, and air-slacked lime are all