The first improvement on the old species, was the in troduction of the Sweuish turnip, :loom twelve years ago. Its culture soon became frequent, from the notice taken of it, and the feuomntendatioW, bestowed on it, in the flee, a periodical miscellany, men published in Edin burgh, by Dr Anderson, most meritormus in its design, and very extensive in its circulation. In the contermin ous parts L;Iydesdale and Tweeddale, where it has been cultivated for a number of years, its habits and its excellencies are well ascertained. Its superiority in feeding, its vigorous resistance to every inclemency of the weather, and its obstinate retention of succulence alter vegetation commences in spring, entitle it indispu tably to rank as the farmer's latest spring food ; while its affection for a soil rich by nature, or enriched by manure ; its inferiority as a fallow crop, from requiring to be early sown, and front covering imperfectly the ground with its leaves ; its deficiency of produce, even after making every allowance for the richness of its juices, and the density of its texture ; render it an object not so much of choice, as of necessity, and limit its cul ture to the extent of a succedaneum, when every other species is shrivelled or putrefied. It is possible to pre serve common turnips, in tolerable condition, till the middle of April but, as they lose greatly when the season is so far advanced, and as they are preserved with difficulty if the weather be genial, it may be more ad visable to have all of them consumed a month earlier, and to raise of Swedish turnips as many as shall be re quired to supply the consumpt from the middle of March, till the end of spring. In exposed situations they may advantageously be cultivated to the further extent of affording partial aid to milch cows in the beginning of May, as the pasturage is then seldom forward enough to supply them with succulent food. When preserved to very late, even Swedish turnips are apt to decay, and, in consequence, to communicate a disagreeable flavour to milk and butter, unless they are topped and tailed when raised from the field, and immediately housed in a cool situation.
Another species has lately been introduced, which promises to be of incalculable advantage, as they seem to possess, in an eminent degree, the characteristic ex cellencies of the common and Swedish turnips. They resemble the yellow garden variety in colour, and, as already stated, are superior to ruta bags, because, with equal properties they may be raised on inferior soil, and at the expense of less dung than is required for that va luable esculent. This species has of late been cultivated extensively in many counties, and promises to be of im portant advantage in every one of them, where physical circumstances are unfavourable to the culture of ruta baga. Perhaps, in a general point of view, storing is not required either for ruta baga or yellow turnips, be cause, under a suitable arrangement, neither of these esculents should be used till after the first of April, when the inconvenience of carting from the field, and danger from frost, is little to be dreaded. The greatest injury which both ruta baga and yellow turnips are exposed to in the winter months, is from the depredations of who are uncommonly fond of them as food, and will not taste the common white turnip where others can be pro cured. Storing is, no doubt, a complete preventive against their attacks; but, unless a removal is made solely with a view of sowing wheat in November, we cannot recommend, that either rota baga or yellow tur nips should be stored. With regard to white turnips, a very different opinion must be given, the general seve rity of winter in North Britain, and the utter impractica bility of providing a regular supply of this esculent to winter stock in every high district, rendering it prudent and expedient to keep a (leper at home for supply, even in every season.
4. Storing, as admitting the introduction of wheat 071 a turnip fallow.—From the preceding observations, it seems evident, that the storing of turnips is necessary only in exposed and elevated districts, to attain security against the inclemencies of the weather; and that, in every more favoured situation, it is directly injurious, from requiring turnips to be raised from the ground be fore they have attained their full growth ; from the eva poration of their juices while they lie in the store-heap; and from their acquiring a putrescent flavour, and be coming unpalatable to cattle. Even in the latter, how ever, that system is attended with one advantage, which more than compensates its numerous evils,—the facility with which it enables the farmer to introduce wheat on a turnip fallow.
There can be no doubt, that a turnip fallow, in most cases, is a sufficient preparation for wheat. A bare fallow seems indispensably necessary only on wet and stubborn clays: but this is a species of soil most unfa vourable to the culture of turnips. If they are forced to grow in such a situation, they cannot serve as a sub stitute for summer-fallow ; and the storing system must be recurred to immediately after harvest, not to make way for sowing wheat, but because it is impossible, in our moist climate, to carry off turnips from such lands during winter. But on a dry soil, of every species from a light sand to a rich loam, which turnips chiefly affect, every advantage of a summer-fallow is obtained by cropping with turnips : The frequent ploughings before the seed process, and the various hocings, after the plants appear above ground, till they cover it with their leaves, effectually pulverize the soil, and clear it of weeds. On light lands of this description, if wheat is intended to follow turnips, it may be sown at an early, and at its pro per season. If the process of storing commence im mediately after harvesting the potatoes, the ground may be cleared to receive the wheat in the beginning of November. When it is wished, however, to obtain the full benefit of the turnip crop, it will be necessary to delay storing some time longer, till the bulbs arrive at their full size: Yet, even in this case, it will be easy to put the ground in order during the course of winter, and to embrace the most favourable season of sowing it with spring wheat. It is obvious that, if storing be omitted, wheat after turnips is a precarious crop. If the ground is only cleared, as turnips are required for the consumpt of cattle, they must be regularly carried off during the whole of winter, and the beginning of spring. The carriage of such a bulky crop, in our moist climate, and during our vu ettcst season, inevitably occasions a degree of poaching on almost every soil, and greatly retards the opertions of ploukhing, sowing, and harrowing, in spring. Unless the weat hur be very favourable, the season is too late for sowing wheat ; and it is considered more .tdv..ita;;eoiis, in general, to in troduce barley or oats after a turnip fallow. The stor ing system, therefore, is advantageous in the exact pro portion that a crop of wheat is superior to a crop of bar Icy; and this profit must greatly overbalance the various losses which turnips sustain in that process.