TURNIP (from turn + nep, from AS. nwp, turnip, from Lat. napes, sort of turnip), Brassica eampestris (rape of some botanists). A biennial plant of the natural order Crucifene, culti vated in cool climates for its globose. oblong or roundish, swollen and fleshy roots, which are used as a vegetable and for stoek-feeding. It is a native of temperate Europe and Asia, grow ing in fields and waste places. The cultivated varieties are very numerous. Some attain a weight of 20 or 25 pounds. Garden turnips are sown in early spring or even as late as mid summer; field turnips generally in midsummer, so as to avoid the possibility of developing a flower stem in the year they are planted, a de velopment which impairs the quality and im pedes the development of the edible part. The varieties both of garden and field turnips are very numerous. The garden turnips are gen erally of comparatively small size, rapid in growth, and of delicate flavor. The name Swedish turnip or rutabaga is given to a group of Va rieties cultivated in the same manner and used for the same purpose as the common field and garden turnip.
The cultivated turnip grows best in a rich soil. It is not well suited to clay soils, although it is often grown on them. A complete pulveriza tion of the soil is requisite before the sowing of the seed. On light soils, a crop of turnips gen erally succeeds wheat or oats. The seed may be sown either in drills 2-2I!: feet apart or broadcast. The young plants are thinned out by hand to 8 inches or more apart, and the ground is stirred and carefully kept clean by cultivation and hoeing. The turnip crop is thus of great use in clearing the land of weeds. In many
places part of the crop is eaten on the ground by sheep, which are corralled upon small areas in the field, each third row being left for this pur pose, the plants in the other two rows being fed or stored in houses or earth-covered pits or by being covered in the field with earth plowed over them. Swedish turnips are the most hardy varieties.
Both the ordinary turnip and the rutabaga are used for feeding stock, the former less than the latter. Both are classed as coarse fodder, since they are bulky in proportion to their nutritive value. Turnips have the following average percentage composition: Water, 90.5; protein. 1.1 ; fat, 0.2; nitrogen-free extract, 6.3; crude fibre. 1.1: and ash, 0.S. Swedish turnip: Water. SS.(i; protein. 1.2: fat, 0.2; nitrogen-free extract. 7.7; crude fibre. 1.3; and ash, 1.1. Ex periments show that 90 per cent. of the total dry matter, nitrogen-free extract, and crude fibre of turnips is digested. in Great Britain, North ern Europe, and Canada large quantities of tur nips are fed, with other roots, replacing grain to a considerable extent. Roots are little fed in the United States, probably because they are less easily cultivated than corn. Turnips are used especially for sheep. Dairy cattle should he milked before being fed turnips, even in limited quantities, to avoid the possibility of tainting the milk. Sheep prefer the Swedish turnip to all other roots. Slicing and pulping are com monly practiced. See Plate of CABBAGE AND ALLIES.