Historical reference: Do not rely on this information. It is very old. About this collection
Swede, originally known, from the country of its origin, as the Swedish turnip, is Brassica campestris, var. Rutabaga or Napo-brassica. It is a most valuable food for sheep, yielding far heavier crops than the common turnip. Its introduction in the 17th century effected a revolution in our agriculture. The swede flourishes in the moist summers of the north of Britain, but suffers mnch from the attacks of the turnip-beetle.