From the preceding statement, it. may be concluded, that, in the most fertile districts of Scotland, where the climate is more genial, and the weather more uniform, the storing system possesses little essential advantage, in point of security against frost, over the practice of leaving turnips on the ground. A little foresight will, in most cases, supersede the necessity of raising them in a frozen state, and, even then, immersion in water is an easy and effectual remedy. It is impossible, however, to adopt this practice, probably, in the Highlands of Scotland, and in many districts of the southern coun ties. The frosts there set in early, are severe, and last ing. During the whole winter, there are almost con tinued storms of frost and snow, which must prevent turnips from being regularly carried off the field to the bestial. It is found that turnips, piled together in a house, begin to decay after three weeks ; and therefore, a stock of turnips, equal to the consumpt of that period, is the utmost that a farmer can provide against the con tingency of frost. If the frost outlast that time, (which is not an uncommon event,) recourse must be had to tur nips on the ground ; but it is very difficult to raise them during intense frost, such as often occurs in winter, in elevated districts. A turnip, thoroughly congealed, when struck with an iron tool, will fly into splinters. A pick-ax is necessary to raise it from the ground, and, even with it, great care is required to raise the turnip whole. We have been informed, that a farmer, in an elevated district of Tweeddale, being under the necessity of recurring to his turnip field during an intense frost, found as much difficulty in raising the produce of a few yards, as he would have had in storing his whole crop at the proper season. It may thence be concluded, that, though the storing system is not so necessary in low lying districts, as a security against frost, it is eminently advantageous in more elevated and exposed situations, by rendering the farmer independent of the severities of the weather, by enabling him at all times to supply his cattle with sound and nutritive [Owl.
2. Storing as a p•cventive of laarejitction.—Turnips, left on the ground, arc liable not only to be congealed into a lump of ice, but also to be reduced into a putrid mash by the inclemencies of the weather. The prac tice of storing, since it has been rightly understood, prevents any loss from putrefaction : it has thence been concluded, that this circumstance is a decided advan tage in favour of that system. On examining the mat ter more closely, and contrasting the loss on the ground with the loss in the process of storing, there will appear abundant reason to modify, perhaps to reject, this con clusion.
It is impossible to form a general estimate of the quan tity of turnips annually destroyed. The loss is so vari able, being affected considerably by the soil and expo sure of the field, though regulated principally by the climate and the season, as to defy the most sanguine calculator. It is even difficult to approximate to the truth ; as the opinions of farmers, on this subject, from the difference of their circumstances, are vague and contradictory. A member of the Eddlestone Club has declared, that, in two years out of three, all our turnips on the ground at Christmas are entirely lost by the frost. Having unbounded confidence in the veracity of this declaration, we readily acquit him of all intention to mislead: but, as his statement is quite different from the general sentiment of his neighbours, we are inclined to suspect a mistake of the pen, or a slip of the memory. An intelligent farmer has assured me, that the annual loss which he sustains is seldom considerable ; and that the whole quahtity destroyed in the course of eight or ten years will not amount to the produce of an ordinary crop. 1,Ve have been also informed by the Rev. Mr
Robertson of Eddlestone, who has the merit of founding the Farmer's Club, which bears the name of his parish, and who has cultivated turnips to a considerable extent for nearly 30 years, that he has lost only two crops in that period; and that the loss, in both cases, took place in spring. From my own observation, 1 am convinced that the loss is not so great, and so early, as has been stated. It consists with the experience of every fanner, that turnips suffer little or no injury till the approach of spring. We are convinced that we do not underrate the effects of the weather, when we state, that, on an ave rage of years, even in an elevated district, one-third of the turnips on the ground at Candlemas only is destroy ed by frost. It is presumed, that two-thirds of the crop are consumed during the three months of winter, and without any material loss. The third, which remains on the ground till spring, is the only part which suffers ; consequently the annual loss, at an average, may be stat ed at one-third of one-third, or at one-ninth of the whole crop.
There is every probability that a considerable loss is sustained by the practice of storing. After lying some time in the store-heap, turnips show evident indications of decay. To the eye they seem shrivelled ; to the hand they feel lighter. It is the common sentiment of all who have tried the experiment, that turnips in a store-heap lose one-third of their weight, before spring —a loss equal to what may be estimated as sustained by turnips when left in the field. Besides this inevitable, there is another probable, disadvantage attendant upon storing. The turnips must be carried off the field soon after, commonly immediately after harvesting the pota toes ; their further growth is prevented: whereas, had they been left on the ground, they would certainly increased in size, probably matured and unproved their juices, till interrupted by the btl. Crily of winter. lilt, perhaps, the strongest objection to the storing system is the circumstance, that turnips, however carefully stored, arc less palatable to cattle, than v hen taken fresh from the ground. That this inferiority is real, and con siderable, was satisfactorily evinced by an experiment made in presence of the Eddlestone Farmer's Club, at their meeting in the first week of March last. They produced two turnips, the one from a sound store-heap, and the other fresh from the field, Si N'Cral cows were turned out successively to prove them, and all, site smelling at both, began to eat the turnip from the field till it was finished, the other not being touched. This inferiority cannot be referred to a diminution of succu lence, (for it was discovered by the sense of smelling,) but to a putrescent flavour, arising probably from the operations of tun/ring and turfing. Though the leaves and tap-root were cut off with mathematical precision, still two considerable wounds must be made on each turnip. The juices ooze out at those wounded parts ; and fluids, when partly extravasated, (if we may adopt medical language,) lose their vitality, and run into putre faction. A putrid crust is thus formed on the surface of each wound, and must be eaten by cattle before they ar rive at the sound interior. Of the nature of this injury, some conception may be formed by those persons, who, from the carelessness of their cook, have accidentally seen, or tasted, a potatoe that had been wounded in the process of harvesting.