Chap. II.] RuTA Baga cultlre. 69 



ridge going up, and another from the same side of the 

 other ridge coming down. In the taking away of the 

 last tM i'urroAvs, Ave Avent Avithin three inches of the 

 turnip-plants. Thus there Avas a ridge over the origi- 

 nal gutter. Then aao turned these furroAA's back again 

 to the turnips. And, having gone, in this manner, OAer 

 the Avhole piece, there it AAas Avith not a Aveed aliAe in 

 it. All killed by the sun, and tlie field as clean and 

 as fine as any garden tliat CA'er Avas seen. 



60. Those Avho knoAv the effect of tillage between 

 growing plants, and especially if the earth be moved 

 deep (and, indeed, Avhat American does not knoAv Avhat 

 such effect is, seeing that, Avithout it, there Avould be no 

 Indian Corn!); those that reflect on this effect, may 

 guess at the effect on my Ruta Baga plants, Avhich soon 

 gaA'e me, by their appearance, a decided proof, that 

 Tull's principles are always true, in A\hateA'er soil or 

 climate applied. 



61 . it Avas noAv a very beautiful thing to see, a regular 

 unbroken line of fine, fresh looking plants upon the tops 

 of those Avide ridges, Aviiich had been thought to be so 

 very Avhimsical and unnecessary. But, Avhy have the 

 i-idges so very wide ? This question Avas not ncAv to me, 

 Avho had to answer it a thousand times in England. It 

 is because you cannot plough deep and clean in a nar- 

 roAver space than four feet; and, it is the deep and clean 

 ploughing that I regard as the surest means of a large 

 crop, especially in poor, or indifferent ground. It is a 

 great error to suppose, that there is any ground lost by 

 tliese Avide intervals. iMy crop of thirty-three toiis, or 

 thirteen hundred and twenty btisheU, to the acre, taking 

 a Avhole field together, had the same sort of intervals ; 

 Avhile my neighbour's, Avith two feet interAals, ncA'er ar- 

 rived at'tAvo tliirds of the Aveight of that crop. There is 

 no ground lost ; for, any one, avIio has a mind to do it, 

 may satisfy himself, that the lateral roots of any fine 

 large turnip Avill extend more than six feet from the bulb 

 of the plant. The intervals are full of these roots, the 

 breaking of Avhich and the moving of Avhich, as in the 

 case of Indian Corn, gives new food and neAv roots, and 

 produces Avonderful efl'ectson the plants. Wide as my 

 intervals were, the leaves of some of the plants very 

 nevly touched thos>e of the plants; outhe adjoiuiog ridge. 



