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Turnip is a name somewhat loosely applied to two species of vegetables. In this country, and apparently properly, it is applied to vegetables characterized by thick light-fleshed roots that are usually more or less flattened or at least not greatly elongated, with leaves that are hairy and not glaucous. These vegetables belong to the species Brassica Rapa (see page 543). In the term is sometimes included the Swedish turnip or rutabaga, a plant that is characterized by having a more uniformly elongated-oval yellow-fleshed tuber with roots springing from its lower part, a thick elongated leafy neck, and glaucous-blue leaves that are not hairy. This plant is considered to be Brassica campestris var. Napo-Brassica. Whether these two species exist separately in wild nature is not positively known, but they appear to be well defined under cultivation. Both species tend to run wild in old fields and to lose their thickened roots. They are then sometimes, though erroneously, known as charlock. (The real charlock is Brassica [Sinapis] arvensis, one of the mustards). The nativity of these species is unknown, but they are almost certainly European or Asian in origin. Characteristic tubers of these two plants are contrasted in Figs. 3873 and 3874. The former is commonly known here as "flat turnip" and the latter as rutabaga or merely "baga." According to Vilmorin, the plant that we know as rutabaga is known to the French as chou-navet and in England as Swedish turnip and turnip-rooted cabbage.
The culture of turnips and rutabagas is very similar, except that the rutabaga requires a longer season. The rutabaga is nearly always grown as a main-season crop, whereas the turnip may be sown very late for winter use or very early for late spring or summer use. Usually the flat turnip is not grown in the hot weather of summer. In the northern states it is sown from the middle of July to the middle of August for late crop, or on the first approach of spring in order that tubers may be had for the early vegetable market. The late or winter crop is ordinarily used for storing in cellars and also for feeding, whereas the early crop is often sold in bunches in the open market, and later by the basket or bushel.
The turnips and rutabagas are hardy; that is, the young plants can withstand some frost. They are cold-weather plants and demand loose moist soil. Usually the seeds are sown in drills that stand from 10 to 20 inches apart. In the drills the plants are thinned until they stand from 6 to 10 inches apart, depending on the variety. For general field operations, the rows are sometimes placed as far as 30 inches apart, to allow horse tillage. Sometimes the late or winter crop is raised from seed sown broadcast, but this method gives good results only when the soil is well supplied with moisture, very thoroughly tilled beforehand and is free from weeds, since subsequent tillage is impossible. The seeds of turnips and rutabagas are of similar size, two or three pounds being required to the acre for broadcasting. When sown in drills, one-half or one- third this amount may be sufficient. The yields will sometimes reach 1,000 bushels to the acre, although the average is much less than this.
The turnip needs no special care as to cultivation. The greatest difficulties are the root-maggot, which is the larva of a small fly, and the flea-beetle. The maggot may be killed by injecting bisulfide of carbon into the soil about the roots before the grubs have burrowed deeply into the tissues. In general field operations, however, this treatment is impracticable and one must rely on growing the crop in fields which are not infested with the maggot; that is, rotation is the chief recourse. The flea-beetle may be kept in check by spraying the plants with bordeaux mixture, or perhaps better by sprinkling them with paris green diluted with land-plaster (one part by bulk of paris green to fifty of plaster).
Rutabagas have firmer and richer flesh than the turnips. They are usually more prized for consumption in winter, and turnips are usually more popular in the spring and early fall markets. Rutabagas are also more prized for stock-feeding. They yield heavily, are rich and succulent and keep well in any ordinary cellar. Rutabagas started in the middle or last of June in the northern states will reach their full growth by October. They are usually not harvested until heavy frosts have come. The roots of rutabagas and turnips sometimes persist through the winter, even though they have been solidly frozen, and send up flower-stalks in the spring; but unlike salsify and parsnips the roots should not be left in the ground to freeze if they are to be used.
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