too, the bulbs lose a portion of their excessive amount of water, and
become less bulky, which is unquestionably a desideratum. These facts
suggest the necessity for cultivating the earlier varieties of the
turnip, for it may be fairly doubted if a late-grown crop, left
for consumption in the field, ever, even under the most favorable
circumstances, attains its perfect development. At the same time it
must not be forgotten that turnips _fully matured_ in the field rather
deteriorate than otherwise after a few weeks' storage.

Many agriculturists consider that there is a strict relation between the
specific gravity, or comparative weight of the bulb, and its nutritive
value; others believe that a very large turnip must necessarily be
inferior in feeding qualities to a small one; whilst not a few maintain
that neither its size nor its specific gravity is an indication of its
feeding qualities. Dr. Anderson, who has specially investigated a
portion of this subject, states that "the specific gravity of the whole
turnip cannot be accepted as indicating its real nutritive value, the
proportion of air in the cells being the determining element in such
results; that there is no constant relation between the specific gravity
of, and the nitrogen compounds in, the bulb; and that such relation
does exist between the specific gravity of the expressed juice and
the nitrogen compounds and solid constituents." Dr. Anderson allows,
however, that the best varieties of the turnip have the highest specific
gravity; which admission--coupled with the fact admitted by all
experimenters that the heavy roots store best--lead me to adopt the
opinions of those who consider great specific gravity as one of the
favorable indications of its nutritive value. With respect to size,
I prefer bulbs of moderate dimensions; the monsters that win the prizes
at our agricultural shows--and which, in general, are _forced_--are
inferior in feeding qualities, are always _spongy_, and almost
invariably rot when stored.

The composition of the turnip is influenced not only by the nature of
the soil on which it is grown, but also by that of the manure applied
to it. The most reliable authorities are agreed that turnips raised on
Peruvian guano are watery, and do not keep well; but that with a mixture
of Peruvian guano and superphosphate of lime, with phospho-guano, or
with farmyard manure supplemented with a moderate amount of guano, the
most nutritious and fir