to the turnep-field folely. The juices of the plant are certainly rich, but being of a folid fubftance, does not 'fupply the milk of the ewe in fuch quantities, and fo frequently as is neceffary.

Intending the land for barley, I thought it would be imprudent to wait longer than about the 11th of May, when I had a great many loads of the roots hauled to the aforefaid grafs-plat, where the tegs, pafturing, continued at intervals feeding on them until Midfummer; and it was observed by my neigh bours, that although they enjoyed their fill of fine grafs, they were feldom known to lie down any where elfe than among the turneps, while any of these remained unconconfumed. This I cannot but confider as a happy proof of the partial fondnefs the fheep have for this ex cellent root; and in refpect of its effects on them, I declare I have hitherto experienced no plant fo fattening, or that will keep the crea tures in more perfect health.

The process of my plantation was conducted the fame as formerly, that is, the land, having been pre viously fallowed and dunged, was thrown on to one-bout ridges, and at two feet diftance from each other, a fingle row of plants fet out on the top of each; at proper feafons the intervals were afterwards horfehoed backwards and forwards, and in confideration of great numbers of weeds, accruing from the wetnefs of the fummer, the tops of the ridges received two dreffings of the hand-hoe. All of thefe, together with the fubfequent foilings of the fheep, left the land in admirable condition; and about the 18th of May, as before-mentioned, I fowed

the field with barley, and reaped a return of a rich and luxuriant crop, in quality remarkably fine.

From incontrovertible facts relative to its utility, this fpecies feems, in this neighbourhood, even to the diftance of many miles around, to gain ground apace; and fome of my neighbours, who on account of their ideal notions of the expence attending its cultivation, when first introduced, decried it at large, pofitively afferring no benerit could ever accrue tron it to the owner, I have reafon to believe will, ere long, be fully convinced of the impoffi bility of doing things entirely well without it.

We now find the expence (horsehoeing excepted) to vary but little from that ufually attending the railing the common turnep; and in confideration of the comparative fuperiority of its quality, the greate er certainty of the crop fucceeding (which with thofe, on account of the fly, is always precarious) its hardness alfo in refifting every de gree of froft, and the benefit the foil eminently obtains from the cultivation, I humbly conceive the plant, in point of real value, to ftand but very little, if any, behind that fpecies. It is moreover, as a valuable confideration, to be obferved, that, while feeding on thefe, no confumption of hay has, with us, as yet been made; our fheep indeed are often ferved therewith, but they are always as fure to reject it; and it may, not unlikely, fome time or other be found, that thefe, on account of their fingular permanency, may be equal to fupporting the animals as well without hay, as the others with the addition of that expenfive article; whence,

in future, I intend practifing the culture on a much larger fcale. I now, on condition of their proceeding in due form, furnifh my neighbours with feed gratis; and it is perhaps worthy of remark, that on an extreme cold day in February laft, I had not lefs than four orders for Turnep-rooted Cabbage Seeds. Our method of feeding confifts in pulling up the Turneps with a hook properly made, which having an edge on its back part for that purpose, each root, at a fingle ftroke, receives an incifion through the middle; hence, their external furface being very hard, the fheep feed on them with much greater facility than they would otherwife do. Many other obfervations in favour of this plant remain yet to be made, but which however, time and experience only muft furnish.

My neighbour Robbins alfo intending this year to fend up his claim for the premium, I the other day gave him a certificate, authenticating the contents thereof. His method of giving the lambs a backward run on rye-grafs, is certainly deferving of imitation, and wherein I should have followed him, if I had had any in the vicinage of my plantation. Perhaps no other gramen, at that early feafon (the bur. net excepted) will ever, for producing milk in the ewe, be found equal thereto.

Mr. Secretary,

IN confequence of the fuccefs of my neighbour, Mr. Lewin Tugwell, who last year obtained of your Society, the premium offered for cultivating the Turneprooted Cabbage, I am alfo this year induced to profefs myfelf a claimant.

Confidering that the views of the Society extend to nothing lefs than the good of the community at large, I am happy to inform you, that from obferving the great advantage that accrued from Mr. Tugwell's experiments, I laft year at tempted the cultivation, and fucceeded beyond my moft fanguine expectations.

Situate on a farm where my late predeceffor (though a reputable hufbandman) had in vain attempted the raifing a breeding flock, I had myfelf defpaired of doing it, and refolved to fell all my ewe fheep, and to keep none in future but of the weather kind; however, having obtained the knowledge of this moft valuable plant, my fchemes have now fallen into a new channel, being enabled to keep them in all defirable health through the fpring feafon (wherein, as had been conceived, confifted an abfolute and infurmountable difficulty) I now am not only gratified with the pleafing fight of ewes and lambs abou me, but from the prefent appear. ance of thefe (being defcended from the best rams I could procure) am not without hopes of poffeffing, ere long, a flock equal to any in my neighbourhood, even thofe pafturing on its moft fertile mea dows.

In the cultivation I thought I had only to follow Mr. Tugwell's fimple method, that is, of dif

pofing the plants on the top of one-bout ridges, and fubfequently horfe-hoeing the intervals backwards and forwards; and it is remarkable (notwithstanding he informed me, from the little experience he has had, that he believes the plant will be found to fucceed beft on land rather loomy or heavy) that on a plantation of eleven acres of a ftony foil, light in an almoft, unparalleled degree, I was enabled, through the difficult feafon of the laft fpring, to sustain and preferve, in the most defirable manner, two hundred and ten ewes, with two hundred and twenty lambs, for a mouth; also with the refufe or bottoms, fuch as the ewes and lambs left, I kept one hundred and eighty tegs, or one-year old fheep, during the space of fix weeks. How ever, it must be acknowledged, and is indeed proper to intimate, that although during their ftay thereon, I gave them no hay, I nevertheless found it eligible to let the ewes and lambs have a backward run on a fmall adjoining field of rye-grafs; for from the time of their being brought on I had obferved, that although the ewes appeared to increase in flesh, the lambs were rather behind in that refpect; and herein I was happy in the concurrent opinion of Mr. Tugwell, who from his last year's experience had hinted to me, that he thought the plant in its nature rather tended to fatten animals, than to fupply milk; it is true, my rye-grafs was very trifling in refpect of quantity, having been fed the preceding winter; however it had a very defira. ble effect, and from the time of their

being introduced thereto, the lambs were observed to recover.

Previous to my fetting out the plants, the field had, the fame feafon, been under vetches, which were foiled, or fed of, with fheep. I then ploughed it, gave it fome dung, and threw the land into its proper form for planting. Midfummer, the plants were fet out, at about eighteen inches asunder in the rows, and the rows, or ridges, about thirty-fix inches apart, As foon as the weeds began to fpring up, and I obferved the plants to want fome affiftance, I had them hand-hoed. Some time after I fent my ploughs to throw up a ridge in the intervals, which, after remaining as long as was neceffary, was thrown back again to the plants, I fome time after gave them another hand-hoeing, by which means my land was put in the fineft tilth ima ginable, and the plants had all the affiftance requifite.

In the fpring, intending to fow the land with barley, I was necef fitated to haul off feveral loads of the roots, and although my feed was not committed until the 14th of May, and the feafon proved remarkably dry after, it is an indifputable fact, that I reaped near three loads from an acre, which ex. traordinary increase, as I impute it to the fuperior mode of cultivation, would, with me, always be fome inducement to the propagation of this most valuable vegetable, even if I had no further views therein.

I am, Sir,

Your's, moft refpectfully, &c. THOMAS ROBINS,

P, S.

maxim of dipping their roots, when first drawn, in a prepared mud, or mixture of earth and water, to preserve them from the injuries of the external air, but, from experience and repeated obfervations, we find the fpecies fo hardy, that, if when replanted the earth is well clofed about them, there is certainly no occafion for it. However, when first fet out, it is neceffary for a boy to defend them a few days from the crows and rooks; the fagacity of thefe creatures (from feeing the plants in a withered ftate) leading them in quet of a fuppofed deftructive infect at its root, they will frequently, without the aforefaid precaution, draw them up again much fatter than they were planted. In regard to tranfplanting from the feed-bed before we fet out for the last time on the ridges in the field, I at first had recourfe to that method; but finding it tedious and expenfive, have not practifed it fince. However, if no remedy can be found, I must foon return to it again; for the plants itanding too near together on the feed-bed, together with feed-weeds, which it is frequently difficult to prevent, they are generally drawn up in a trunk, or ftalk, fo long and weak, that when planted out, they never regain their natural fhape. I intend this fpring to fow in drills, about a foot apart, whence by the action of the external air, with the hand hoe occafionally moving among them, I apprehend the above-mentioned evil may be ob. yiated; a frequent removing the earth of the intervals, and of the roots growing therein, will probably, in effect, be a partial tranf VOL. XXVI.

planting. My crop of last year was planted out on the ridges about three weeks after Midfummer; but, as an inftance of the impropriety of being too late, f have a neighbour who, in his first attempt, has this year feven acres that were planted fame time before Midfummer; I have alfo upwards of fourteen acres, which, as I waited for rain, were not planted until fix or feven weeks after his; and as the drought continued with us till near the equinox, the con fequence is, mine on an average are not more than a pound and a half in weight, while his are probably nearly five pounds. Situated high and cold, with lands none of the richest, if we were fure of weather proper for the bufinefs, Midfummer might notwithstanding be foon enough for tranfplanting to the field; but as that is precarious, we ought at all events to get the plants fet out, rooted, and growing, by that time. The average weight of my last year's crop was probably about three pounds; fome few amounted to fix, feven, and even eight pounds each; and it was observable, that on part of the field planted three weeks before the other part, the roots were much the largeft. The ewes and lambs were turned in upon them the 9th of April, and drawn off the 2d of May. The one year old fheep were introduced April the 13th, and taken away the 18th of the following month. on which the ewes and lambs were occafionally fuffered to pasture, is about eighteen acres, half of which however would have been very fufficient; for after all, a great deal confifts in their having G

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