240 On the Culture of the Eeetf 



7. Into ench Interfecllng point of the lines delineated by the rake, one fingle feed capful?, 

 'if you are convinced of its good quality, is to be rtuclc in. But if not, thtn tAO fucb capfules 



are to be put in; and, in either cafe, to the depth of an inch. This operation may be done 

 by children, or inferior labourers. When the plants have germinated out of the ground, and fix 

 or eight leaves are formed, the weeds mutt be deftroyed or pu'led up; but, as I have already 

 obferved, the removal of the earth from the plant is to be very carefully avoided. It anrwere 

 ■ better to pufli the earth nearer to the plant, though this may be neglected without any bad 

 confequence. At this period of the culture there is another op^-ration to be performed. Jf 

 the plants be too much accumulated on a particular fpot, which is often the cafe when very 

 good feed has been ufed, becaufe one capfule contains feveral feed grains, and produces more 

 plants than one on the fame fpot; in this cafe the fuperabundant plants are to be pulled out. 



8. There is no occafion for this operation, if the feed has not been quite freih, or not 

 quite ripe. But in cafe fome empty places {hould be found, where nothing has grown up>, 

 two frefh grains (hould be inferred. After the ground has been once cleared of the weeds, 

 the plants grow up fo fpeedily, that their leaves foon completely cover the ground; and thus 

 abfi)lutely prevent the growing of any more weeds. In confequence of this, and to the great 

 advantage to the farmer, an acre of ground cultivated with runkelriibe, occafions no more 

 trouble till the time of gathering: which circumftance greatly facilitates their cultivation^ 

 becaufe :he time of the cultivator, who is then bufied in his corn harvefl, is not required to 

 be at all employed on this object. For the gathering of thtfe roots begins only towards the 

 end of September, and may be continued to the end of October, if no early froft fets in, 



9. At this gathering nothing particularly remarkable occurs, except that the root muft be 

 •as little injured as poffible; partly to prevent the lofs of its juice, and partly to prevent the 

 decay to which the wou ided parts are more expofed than the found ones. '1 he verdure muft 

 then be cut ofF, in fuch a manner, that the heart may be alfo feparated, in order to prevent 

 the germination of the root. Too much (hould not, however, be lopped off the head; be- 

 caufe the juice would, in that cafe, too plentifully CNfude. Thefe leaves and hearts ar» 

 exceedingly valuable to the faimer at this time, when other green food for his, cattle is 

 wanting. 



ic. The roots may be kept for u'is in ditches dug In the earth, where the depth, the dry- 

 nefs, and the loofc nature of the foil, admits of it. Where this is not praiSicable, on accountof 

 the moi(iure and hrmnefs of the foil, they may be preferved and fecurcd againft the froft in 

 cellars. But the heart muft not be taken out' nor injured in fuch roots as are kept during 

 the winter, in order to obtain feed from them by tranfplantation in the fpring. The leaves 

 are merefy to be broken off. The roots muft be well covered during winter, and fheltered 

 againft froft. In general, in the produdlion of the feed from the runkelriibe, the fame 

 method is to be ufed as with other biennial roots and fpecies of cole. As this procedure is 

 known to every economift and gardener, I (hall lofe no time by defcribing it. 



II. When large diftrifts of ground are to be cultivated with this plant, the feed capfules 

 cannot, for want of time, be fingly put into the ground. The feed muft, therefore, be fown 



: ' ■ with 



