OF SCOTLAND.
559
was the opinion of a Norfolk ploughman employed by DrHutton, and afterwards by Mr Fordyce, so long ago as from1763 to 1772. It may be noticed to the credit of English husbandry, that to the example of this ploughman, the mo-dern Berwickshire husbandry, particularly as relative to cleanturnip fallows, neat ploughing, and the introduction of culti-vated grasses, greatly owes its origin.
In summer 1804, a great alarm prevailed for some weeks,on both sides of the Tweed, from the appearance of immensenumbers of small black, or very dark green caterpillars, upondetached small patches of the turnip fields. Their ravageswere rapid beyond conception ; but they fortunately did notspread, and suddenly disappeared, after doing moderate mis-chief. A few of the same kind has appeared in 'different partsof the country, every year since, but have never produced anyserious injury. The fly is said to attack turnips while in theseed leaf only ; whereas the caterpillar feeds voraciously on thebroad rough leaf, even after the plants were singled out. Insome instances, the hearts or crowns of the plants escape, andhave afterwards vegetated, but the roots of these plants neverbecame large. For the caterpillar, a number of ducks will befound the best remedy, as they devour that species of verminwith great avidity.
The principal danger to which turnips are exposed, is fromthe slug and fly. In a fortnight after the young plants beginto appear, it often happens, especially in dry weather, thateither the whole is totally consumed, or so many destroyed asto leave a very scanty and irregular crop. Various methodshave been devised to prevent this calamity. Some roll theturnips in the night time, when the slugs, concealed in theground through the day, are supposed to come out to feed onthe young plants,, and are ernshed and destroyed by the rol-ler. To save the crop from the ravages of the fly, it has beenrecommended to sow a mixture of seed, of three different andsuccessive years’ growth. As the latest or freshest will alwaysspring first, and the different portions of the mixture will rise