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Culture of Ruta Bagas.
Mr. Editor It is hardly neces¬
sary, I hope, to try to persuade the
readers of the Farm and Home, that
in the whole catalogue of farm crops
which can be successfully grown at the
South, none is more valuable and im¬
portant than the Rutabaga,or Swedish
turnip.
The time is rapidly approaching
when this crop should be planted, and
the time has actually come when the
ground should be prepared to receive
it. As everything depends on the
thorough preparation of the soil to
receive the seed, I ask a little space in
your columns to make known what I
have found to be the best mode of pre¬
paration and culture. I have tried
many varieties of turn'ps on many
kinds of land, and I have not found
there any which so generally suc¬
ceeded as the Rutabagas. I raised, have
found that they are more easily
produce better and keep better than
any of the rough-leaved kinds, and
they have another very important ad¬
vantage, they are much less liable to
be attacked by the fly than the com¬
mon English turnip. 1 commence the
work of preparation by a deep and
thorough plowmg with a two horse
plow, and as soon as possible I give the
laud a second and a third plowing,
crossing the former furrows every
time, and, at least once, following
the turn-plow with a two horse sub
soiler as deep as a steady hand cau
hold it and a strong team can pull it.
I have broken the ground in this way
fully sixteen inches. If the soil is at
all inclined to be cloddy, I run a
harrow after the plows at each plow¬
ing, the great object being to make
the soil as fine and as mellow as pos¬
sible to the greatest depth practica¬
ble. When the ground is moderately
well pulverized, I put ou stable ma¬
nure liberally, spreading it broadcast,
and I plow it under immediately. The
turnip is a greedy, but not a delicate
feeder, and therefore the manure need
not be very fine, as many persons
erroneously suppose. I begin to pre¬
pare my turnip patch as early as pos¬
sible in the spring, and I return to it
each time that the plows are used
for the other field crops. Inthis way,
before the hot suns have baked and
hardened the soil, I have made it mel¬
low and porous by frequent breaking,
and iQ a condition to absorb ali the
enriching properties ot the manures.
Just before plaufiug, I spread broad¬
cast a heavy application—from 300 to
400 lbs. per acre—ot a mixture ot
ammonia ed dissolved bones, plaster
and ashes, and incorporate this mix¬
ture with the soil by close plowing
with bull tongues or scooters. I then
throw up beds, just as I would for
cotton, eighteen inches or two teet
apart. I much prefer this to level
culture, because it facilitates the after
cultivation, and is a protection against
excessive moisture. I sow about two
and a half pounds ot seed to the acre,
putting them in with a drill, and cov¬
ering with a light cotton harrow, or
with a board, and choosing a damp
day for the operation. In this way, if
the seed be sound, the young plants
will show themselves in two or three
and when they put on four or
five leaves, I run round the crop wich
a cotton scraper, and thin the plants to
nine or ten inches apart in the drill
with hoes, at the same time de¬
stroying all weeds and other unbidden
vegetation. This is the first thinning.
The second is thinning to a stand and
should be done to twelve or fifteen
inches apart, when the plants grow to
the height of a foot
Frequent stirring of the soil, after
every rain, with a turnip cultivator,
destroying the weeds and young grass,
and keeping the beds perfectly mellow
will insure a good yield, provided the
seed has been purchased from a dealer
who sells genuine seeds and none
other. If, as will too often happen,
farmers have not stable manure suffi¬
cient to make the patch as rich as it
ought to be, Peruvian guano, 75;
dissolved bones, 250 ; piaster, 50 ;
and salt, 25 pounds to the acre, will
prove an excellent substitute, applied
at the last plowing, prior to planting,
and covered near the surface. On
moderately good soil, planted and
cultivated as I have recommended,
from 800 to 1000 bushels of fine large
turnips per acre are by no means an
uncommon yield, while on land made
as hard as a thrashing floor by being
“cow-pcnncd ,, all the Summer, then
scratched over with a scooter and
finally sown broadcast, a hundred
bushels of poor, stringy, tough tur
uips are quite as much as cau be ex¬
pected. Unless the soil bo naturally
loose and sandy, I am quite opposed
to the commou mode ot preparation
by cow-penning. On light, sandy
lards I think it is beneficial.
Sow Rutabagas about the middle of
July, and the rough-leaved kinds
about the middle of August.
1 have practiced this plan with
marked and unvarying success, rais¬
ing large crops, feeding my sheep
and Cows abundantly through the
Winter, and being always independent
of bought corn. No part of my farm
pays me better than my turnip paten.
—J. T., in Ex.
Putnam County , Ga„ May, 1872
Southern Weather and Crop
Reports.
GEORGIA.
The Savannah Republican ot 19th,
says that in and about that city au
abundance for the present has been
received, while there has been a good
rain at Augusta and a lighter needed, one by at
Macon. “It was greatly much of which
the cotton especially, ground.’’
is not yet above the
* FLORIDA.
The Jacksonville (Fla.) tnion ot
the 18th laments the continued drouth,
and the Tallahasse Floridian, quoted
in the same paper, says the same
complaint comes from nearly all the
State, adding that “the stand of Cut
ton iu some localities is not very good,
owing chiefly to the scarcity oi seed
for replanting.
ALABAMA.
i The Union Spring Herald
says :
Much of the cotton that was plant¬
ed in the vicinity of Union Springs
has not yet come up, owing to the
drouth, and it is feared, it it ever
comes up, that it will not mature.
That which is up, however, promises
fairly.
MISSISSIPPI.
The Natchez Democrat, lGthinst ,
says:
The crops continue to suffer ma¬
terially for want of rain. Probably
one-third of all the cotton planted ground, in
this region is not out of the
and it will probably be never rain come up
unless there should a soon.
The cotton up is doing passably well,
although even that needs vain to
give it impetus.
The Meridian Gazette, of the same
date, says :
Crops in this section are suffering
considerably from the drouth. We
learn that tin stands of cottou and
corn are from fair to good, and an
early rain would make them ex¬
cellent.
LOUISIANA.
The Ne / Orleans Picayune, o
the 17th instant, says :
Advices from the country show a
decided improvement in the condi¬
tion of the growing cane The plant
cane is coining out beyoud what was
expected, aud the stubble lias taken
a good start and promises to do better
than the most sanguine expectations
At the best, however, a large crop
cannot be made. An extraordinary
favorable seasou henceforth could
scarcely briug the yield up to 100,000
hogsheads. The estimate of well in¬
formed parties with au average sea¬
son i> about 75,000 hogsheads.
SOUTH CAROLINA.
The Lexington Dispatch, of the
22d, says :
We have been favored with very
light showers of rain, which was much
needed, as gardens were beginning
to suffer. Rain is much needed iu
some sections for the corn and cotton
crop.
The Anderson Intelligencer says ;
The dry weather continued until
last Friday, when light rains visited
this section, and on Saturday there
were additional and heavier showers.
High winds on Sunday and Monday,
however, completely dried the earth.
Yesterday was cloudy, and a light
shower of rain fell in the morning.
Farmers are still complaining about
bad stands of cotton. Wheat is look¬
ing fine, with some rust on the blade
occasionally. The oat crop is un¬
promising. Not much said about the
corn prospect.
The Yorkville Enquirer of the
23d, says : this
Refreshing showers fell in sec¬
tion on Friday night and Saturday
last—the first rains we have had since
the lltii ultimo. A great deal of
complaint prevails about the back¬
wardness of crops. Much cotton
that was planted failed to come up,
and iu addition to the effects of the
dry weather, the cut worm has in¬
jured com to some extent. The re¬
cent rains will, however, be quite
beneficial bo cotton com, while they
feel in a most opportune time for the
oat crop.
A correspondent of the Courier,
writing from Maybinton on the 22J,
says of Union couBty :
The Northern part of our county
has had good rains. In the Gilkey
and Thickety region nearly two in¬
ches fell during four days. I his wet
the ground thoroughly. As one ap¬
proaches Union Court House he will
find the rains lighter and partial. In
the neighborhood of the village, and
south and wost of it, they have had
but little. Farmers are more hope¬
ful where rain has fallen. A good
stand of cotton will be up by the
25th instant. There will be no lack
of grass about ibe same time. Corn
is small hut generally clean and in
growing condition. Wheat rather
low, heads short, hut they are* filling
finely, and the promised yield is fair.
The Fall sowing ot oats low’, but well
headed. The Spring sowing small.
About the usual acreage of cotton
planted. Laborers, both white aud
black, generally working well.
The Greenville Enterprise, ol the
23d instant, says :
The delightful seasons of benefi¬ the
past few days have materially
ted the growing crops, and added much
to the comfort of all in the salutary
effi ct upon the atmosphere. Our
climate, comparatively a pleasant one
at all times, is especially Racing just
now. Any inconvenience we may
feel from the heat of the midday
sun is compensated by the delight¬
ful cveuiugs and mornings so peculiar
to this section.
The Marion Times says :
“The rain on last Friday ai d
Saturday was general throughout the
country. We have mot hut few per¬
sons who have not good stands ol cot¬
ton, the raiu that fell on the night of
Sunday, the 12th inst, having brought
it up where it had been preveutod
from coming up previously by the
dry weather. Crops are reported
jlooking well, though cotton was in
pi red to some extent in some places
by the wind that prevailed on Monday
ast. The prospect for a corn crop is
said to be good. So far we have
heard of no complaint about grass.
The weather has been so very dry up
to a very recent date that farmers
have had no difficulty in keeping
grass under control, aud since the
rains it has not had time to assume
very formidable proportions.”
The Newberry Herald, of the
28th, says :
Since our last issue, showers of
rain have fallen iu various localities
of our county. Although the crops
are not doing well, with favoring sea¬
sons henctfoi tli and a late Fall, list
ground may be recovered.
The Chester Reporter of the 29th,
says :
The drouth which lias retarded the
growth of the crop was brought to au
eud on Saturday night last by an
abundant fall of raiu. It came too
late to be of any very great benefit to
the crops of small grain. These are
generally very unpromising, Colton
and corn are both uow doing well.