3645. Use. The use of the root, boiled and mashed as a dish, in broths, soups, and stews, or entire is
familiar over all Europe. The top shoots from such as have stood the winter, are gathered whilst tender
and dressed as spring greens or spinach. Tbe seed is also sometimes sown as small salading. “ 7'he
n a v e l, petit Berhn, Teltow, or French turnip,” Dickson observes (7/ori. T ra n s ., vol. i.), “ enriches all the
iqreign soups. Stewed in gravy, it forms a most excellent dish ; and being of a yellowish white, and of
the shape ot a carrot, when mixed alternately with those roots upon a dish, it is very ornamental. In
Jraiice, as well as in Germany, few great dinners arc served up without it in one shape or other.” In
using It, there is no necessity to cut away the outer skin or rind, in which, indeed, the flavour chiefly
ro ld e s ; scraping it will be quite suificicnt. Justice observes that it is neither fit to be eaten boiled
alone nor niw ; but that two or three of them in seasoning will give a higher flavour than a dozen of
other turnips. (B r itish G a rd en e r 's D ire c tor, p. 159.)
3646. V arie tie s. The turnips in general cultivation
excellent and
cultivation are the
6. Yelloiv stone.
7. Telimo, petit Iloriin (Teltow Is in
tlie district of Brandenburg, and is
about twenty miles from Berlin),
Marldscbo, or Teltowor Rübe; the
smallest of turnips, not liaving more
leaves on it than on a radish.
8. French iender.Navet tendre des Vertus.
(Man. Frat. de la Culture Marai-
chire, p. 290.)
3647. E s tim a te o f sends. The first three sorts are the fittest for early, first succession, and main summer
crops for th e table. The earh- white Dutch is proper hoth for tlie most early and first succession
¿ o p s , as IS also the early stone. I ’he Teltow is of excellent fiavour, and is in high repute in France
Germany, and Holland. It is grown in the sandy fields round Berlin, and also near Altona, whence it is
generally imported to the London market. Before the war, the queen of Goo. III. had regular supplies
sent to England from IVfocklenburgh. It is (or was, in 1814) grown in immense quantities in the
neighbourhood of Moscow. T h e tre n c h tender turnip is very early: it is white, of an oblong shape
and IS reckoned excellent for the table.
j v • o i ,
3648. Seed e stimate. For a seed-bed U ft. by
tance, half an ounce.
3649. T im e o f sow in g . This root can be obtained
spring and sumn ' ' '
for early turnips
sowin,
ft., the plants to remain and be thinned to 7 in. diss
„ ...Ding. most p a i .
irt of the year, by sowing every month in
.1.A - or th e h rst days of April,
spring and summer. Make, first, a small sowing in the last fortnight of March first da
?arly turnips m May and Ju n e ; but, as these soon fly up to seed the same seasc
mg about the middle of April. The first main sowing should follow a t the be;
e season, adopt a larger curly
.luuut uue iinume oi April,m e nrst mam beginning or towards the
end of May, for roots to draw young about th e end of June, and in full growth in July and August. Sow
lull crops in June and July, to provide the main supplies of autumn and winter turnips. Make a final
smaller sowing m the second or third week of August, for late young crops, or to stand for the close of
winter and opening of spring: the turnips of this sowing continue longer than those of the previous
sowings before they run in the spring. As th e crops standing over winter shoot up to seod-stalks in
I'cbruary, M ^ ch , or April, the root becomes hard, stringy, and unfit for the table. Make th e sowings
a day or two before or after the prescribed times for tb e opportunity of showery w e ath er; or, if done at
a dry time, give a gentle watering. T h e French should be sown twice or thrice a year : the first and
on poor soil, for gathering in June and J u ly ; and the third time
about the middle of August, for a winter stock. This last sowing may be made on richer soils thau the
two firs t; It being found from experience th at the flavour of turnips of every kind is much less injured
«^9, 111 autumn than m spring. The Teltow can only be grown in warm and very sandy soils.
¿oO. Soil a n d s itu a tio n . 1 he turnip grows best in a light moderately rich soil, broken fine by good
tilth , bmid or gravel, with a mixture of loam, produces the sweetest-flavoured roots. In heavy cxces-
¿v e ly rich land, th e plant sometimes appears to flourish as well; but it will be found to have a rank
taste, and to run more speedily to flower. A poor, or exhausted soil, ought to be recruited with a pro-
portion of manure suited to th e defect o fth e staple earth. Dung, when requisite, should have been laid
on th e preceding au tum n ; for when fresh, it affords a nidus for the turnip-fly. L e t the earlv cron have
aspect, and the lightest driest soil. Sow th e crops raised after the 1st of May in the most open
36M. Process in soiving as a p re ca u tio n a g a in st the f i y . The directions given by various writers on
this ¿ a d are so numerous, and not unfrequently so contradictory, th a t we shall merely notice those
which appear to us the most rational. As to the choice of seed, it should be bright and well dried In
seasons w h / i the turmp-flyis dreaded, old seed may be m ixed in equal parts with new, the mixture
ffivided, and one hffif steeped twenty-four hours in water. By this means four different rimes of vegetation
are procured, and as mauy chances of escaping the fly: this is a most judicious plan, and has been
to preparing t ^ ground; it appears from a trial made by Mr. Knight, a t the
sugg ^ tio n of ¿ r H. Davy, th a t lime slaked with urine, and mixed with a treble quantity of soot if
¿irinkfod in with the seed a t the time of sowing, will protect the seed and germs from insects ; but this
method can ¿ l y conveniently be adopted in drill sowing. Steeping th e seeds in sulphur, or throwing
soot, ashes, &c., along the drills, very seldom succeeds. Neill recommends sowing late, where it can be
done, or sowing thick, to insure a t lea.st a part o fth e crop.
3652. W h en the c /y le d o n s o r seed-leaves ap p ea r above g ro u n d , t\\Q foWowmg method, practised by Mr.
G o r r i/ seems entitled to g ene ral adoption. This method is to dust th e young plants with lime. “ A
bushel of ¿ i i ^ l i r n / Mr. Gorne says, “ is sufficient to dust over an acre of drilled turnips ; and a hoy
may soon be taught to lay it on almost as fast as he can walk along th e drills. If the seminal leaves arc
p ow d e r^ in th e riigffitest degree, it is sufficient; but should rain wash off the lime before tho rough leaf
be necessary to repeat the operation if the fly appears.” (Cal. H o r t. Mem- 1 )
3M3. A bercrombie directs to “ sow broad-east, allowing J oz. of seed for every ICO sq. ft. unless some
particular purpose will be answered by drilling. In tho former method, scatter the seed regularly and
dry weather, tread or roll it in lightly and evenly; but after heavy showers, merely beat it
¿ n t l y dowi^ rake in afln / L e t ¿ i l l s be 1 m. deep, and 12 in. or 15in. asunder. In the heat of summer
It is of g. eat importance to wait for ram, it the ground be too extensive to be properly watered • for tbe
c ^ io u s rain and heat gives an extraordinary quick vegetation to the seed, which
L n i,/ K If^ V I® ®®^ danger from th e fly. This insect is weakened or
Bn!? fo? f/cf c 9® and does no injury to the turnip when much rain falls. It is desirable to
have the last sowing finished by tlie 20th of August.”
is a i f ^y the fly, the necessary reparation
^ ,■ ground, and make another sowing; watering soon, and occasionally
a l t ^ i ^ r d s , ¿ l ^ s ram lalls. Turnips have been transplanted ; but the operation is one of great nicety
if.
*. c u h u 7-e. A s soon as the plants have rough leaves about 1 in. broad, hoe and thin
them to 6 or 8 square inches distance, cutting up all weeds. As th e turnips increase in th e root, a part
rnay ¿ drawn young by progressive thinnings, so as to leave those varieties, excepting the Teltow, de-
s ig n ^ to reach a full size, ultimately 10 or 12 square inches. The Teltow may be thinned out to half
iv« f f Y'^rieties. Water garden-crops sometimes in hot weather. One great advantage
a tt/idm g the cultivation of the Teltow is, th a t it requires no manure whatever; any soil th at is poor
Y r X ' it, where it seldom'exceeds the size of one’s thmnb or middle fing/r ?
b e S r t o b t S i t fa'aitiim®™"'® “ ®° ®'""‘ ^ "•»
843
3656. T ak itig the crop a n d p r e s e r v in g it by housing. “ In the successive crops, begin to draw as above
m a thinning order, th at such others as are coming forward may have room to enlarge in succession •
by which means a regular supply will be procured till March or April o fth e second season ; specific sorts
being sufficiently hardy to continue good throughout our ordinary winters. But of th e winter crops for
the table, draw a portion occasionally in November, December, or whenever there is an appearance of
the frost setting m severe. Cut the tops officiose, and house the roots in some lowcr shed or cellar, laid
in sand, ready for use while the ground is frozen.” Instead of cutting the top and roots close off, some
prefer leaving about 1 in. of the top, and the whole of the root ; and, when the bulbs are kept in a sufficiency
cool store, this seems preferable, as more likely to retain th e sap.
3657. T u rn ip -to p s . 7'hese are to be gathered from among th e earliest spring-produced leaves, either
from the crown, or flower-stalk. They are equally good from any of the varieties, and less acrid from
those of the hwedish. Sometimes very late sowings are made in September and October, which never
bulb, but which are preserved entirely for their produce as greens in spring.
3658. F ic ld -tu rn ip s . Where a family can be supplied from th e field, the roots will always be found of
a better flavour than those produced in th e garden ; and the same remark applies to all the Ä-fissica
tribe, excepting the cauliflower and broccoli, and to potatoes and most tuberous roots.
3659. To save seed. “ Either leave, in the spring, some of the best sound roots of the winter-standing
crop, or leave, m May or June, a part of th e spring-sown crop of th e same year : or, to be more certain
ol good kinds, transplant, in November or February, a quantity of full-grown well-shaped roots of the
autumn or winter crop, mto large, deepish drills, 2 ft. asunder ; inserting th e bottom fibre into the
nether ground, and the main root fully to th e bottom of the drill ; and earth well over. 7’he plants will
shoot in large branchy stalks in summer, and ripen seed in July or August.” (A b e ra -om b ie .) It is pre-
ierable, however, to procure turnip-seed, as indeed that of most other vegetables, from th e regular seedsmen
; as th e soed-farmers have opportunities of keeping the sorts distinct, which cannot be had within
the precincts of a walled garden. In the G a rd . M a g ., vol. i. p. 174., will be found an interesting account
of the method of rearing the turnip, carrot, and radish seeds in the East Indies.
3660. In se c ts a n d diseases. There are no less than six different insects which feed upon the turnip,
and frequently produce the greatest damage. From th e moment the seed is committed to the ground!
I t is exposed to the wireworm, which frequently destroys one fourth of the crop. On th e appearance
of the cotyledon leaves, the fly, the flea, or blacfc jack, but which in fact is a small jumping beetle (Hal-
tica nemorum), makes its appearance. In the mean time, another beetle enemy ((.'urcùlio contractus
M a r sh .), like a small weevil, deposits its eggs in the cuticle; the grub hatches, and decay follows. When
the rough leaves appear, they furnish food to the black larva or caterpillar of a Tenthredo or saw-fly •
this pest appeared in such vast numbers in 1783, th a t many thousand acres were ploughed up. (P h il.
T ra n s ., 1783.) The mature leaves are n ex t devoured by the green caterpillars of the turnip butterfly
or small garden white (Fóntio ràpfe /•’.). Lastly, the grub of another small weevil produces knobs and
tubercles a t the roots. Now, it is obvious that all these insects require to be eradicated or subdued by
totally different operations ; and th a t to prescribe a recipe without expressing what particular evil it is
intended to counteract, is little less rational than the advertisements of quack doctors, who undertake
to cure all human diseases by a single nostrum. In the absence of published information cn this head
judicious persons must exercise their own Judgment, by making themselves well acquainted with the
cause, before they attempt a cu r e . (S to . M S S .) Garden turnips, like those of th e field, are subject to a
disease called anbury, or fingers and toes, produced by a species of C ^ ip s D . T h e root is covered with
excrescences, which after some time become soft and spongy, and finally burst and decay. No effectual
remedy has yet been discovered for this disease, though it is alleged (G a rd . M a g ., vol. viii. p. 498.) that
soap-boilers’ waste, or any other substance of similar alkaline quality, incorporated with the soil, will
render the root offensive to the parent fly. T h e anbury, and various trials which have been made to
prevent or cure it, will be found described a t great length in Gard. M a g ., vol. viii. p. 323. In 1843 a
disease appeared among the turnips, similar to th e potato murrain, but in a much slighter degree ; the
tuniips, “ when compared with those of the previous year, were found to contain an unusually large
quantity of w ater.” (P r o f. Solly, in J o u r n . H old. Soc., vol. i. p. 40.)
Subsect. 4. Carrot.— Daxicus Caròta B. (Eng. Bot. t. 1 1 7 4 .); Pentdnd. Digijn. L .
and UvibeUCfera J. Carotte, Fr. ; Möhre, or Gelbe Bube, Ger. ; Geele Wortel, Dutch ;
Carota, Ital. ; and Chirivia, Span. Sec Enaj. o f Agr., § 5443.
3661. The carrot is a hardy biennial, and common in many parts of Britam, in sandy
soils, and by road-sides. The root of the plant, iu its wild state, is small, dry, sticky, of
a white coìoiir, and strong-flavoured ; but the root of tho cultivated viuiety is large,
succulent, and of a red-yellow, or pale straw-colour.
3662. Use. It is used in soups and stews, and as a vegetable dish. Parkinson informs us, that in his
day, ladies wore carrot-leaves in place of feathers. In winter, an elegant chimney ornament is sometimes
formed, by cutting off a section from the head or thick end of a carrot containing the bud, and
placing it in a shallow vessel with water. Young and delicate leaves unfold themselves, forming a
radiated tuft, of a very handsome appearance, and heightened by contrast with the season of the year.
3663. The varie tie s of the carrot are as follows : —
1. Common early hom.
5. Long red, Chertscy, Studley, Surrey,
2. Early short red hom, Carotte courte
Carotte rouge longue.
hltlve.
6. Long white, Carotte blanche.
3. Lovg horn. Long red horn.
7. Long yellow, Carotte jaune longue,
4. Long orange. Sandwich, Carotte
Vilmorin’s short yellow, La jaimo
rouge pâle de Flandres.
courte (Bon Jardinier, edit. 1853.)
8. Purple, Carotte violette, Vilmorin’s
violet, La violetto (Bon Jard., edit.
1835.)
Yellow,
4 Itrinc
topped. Superb.
I,a n d th e lo n The early horn is th e principal kind used by gardeners for early cropi. g o ran g e , o r th e Altrincham
for main crops. T h e long red is generally used for agricultural purposesT Thè"short yellow
is an ew sort, recently obtained from seed by M. Vilraorin ; and th e violet of th a t seedsman is a very
large and exceedingly sweet variety sent to him from Spain.
3664. Soil. The carrot requires a light mellow soil, mixed with sand, which should be dug or trenched
one or two spades deep, breaking well all the lumpy parts, so as to form a porous bed, and an even surface.
T h e orange and red sorts, on account of their longer roots, require a soi! proportionally deeper
than the horn. Carrots may be grown in peat mould without any mixture of sand, and with very little
dung. (See G a rd . Mag., vol. viii. p. 56.) A soil in which carrots had been subject to be eaten by white
maggots, was renovated by a mixture of old tu rf and quicklime in th e proportion of 80 loads per acre,
so as to grow large carrots free from insects.
3665. Se ed e simiate , a n d sow in g . The seeds have numerous forked hairs on their borders, by which
they adhere together, and therefore should, previously to sowing, be rubbed between the hands, and
mixed with dry sand, in order to separate them as much as possible. 7'hey are also very liglit, and th erefore
a calm day must be chosen for sowing ; and the seeds should be disseminated equally, and trodden
in before raking. Previously to sowing, if convenient, the seed should be proven, by sowing a few in a
pot, and placing it in a hotbed or hothouse, a s it is more frequently bad than most garden-seeds. F or a
bed 4^ ft. by 30 ft., one ounce will be requisite, and the same for 1-50 ft. of drill-row.