66 RuTA Baga culture, [Part. I. 



77. But, as to the business of transplanting, there is 

 one very material observation to make. The ground 

 ought to be Refresh; that is to say, as recently moved 

 by the plough, as possible ; and that for the reasons 

 before stated. Tlie Avay I go on is this: my land is 

 put up into ridges, as described under the head of Man- 

 ner of soxcing. Tliis is done before-hand, several days ; 

 or, it may be, a ^veek or more. When Me have our 

 plants and hands all ready, the ploughman begins, and 

 turns in the ridges ; that is to say, ploughs the ground 

 back again, so that the top of the new-ploughed ridge 

 stands over the place where the channel, or gutter, or 

 deep furrow, Avas, before he began. As soon as he has 

 finished the first ridge, the planters plant it, while he is 

 ploughing the second : and so on throughout the field. 

 That this is not a very tedious process the reader needs 

 only to be told, that, in ISIG, I had Jiffif-two acres of 

 Ruta Baga planted in this way ; and I think I had more 

 than Jifty thousand bushels. A smart hand will plant 

 half an acre a-day, with a girl or a boy to drop the 

 plants for him. I had a man, M^ho planted an acre a 

 day many a time. But, supposing that a quarter of an 

 acre is a day's work, what are four days' tcork, when 

 put in competion with the value of an acre of this in- 

 valuable root I And what farmer is there, who has 

 common industry, who would grudge to bend his otvn 

 back eight or twelve days, for the sake of keeping iill 

 his stock through the Spring months, when dry food is 

 loathsome to thera, and Avhen grass is by nature denied ? 



78. ObserA'ii7g well what has been said about earth 

 perfectly fresh, and never forgetting this, let us now talk 

 about the act of planting ; the mere mechanical opera- 

 tion of putting the plant into the ground. We have a 

 setting-stick which should be the top of a spade-handle 

 cut off, about ten inches below the eye. It must be 

 pointed smoothly ; and, if it be shod with thin iron ; that 

 is to say, covered with an iron sheath, it will Avork more 

 smoothly, and do its business the better. At any rate 

 the point should be nicely smoothed, and so should the 

 whole of the tool. The planting is performed like that 

 of cabbage-plants ; but, as I have met with very few 

 persons, out of the market gardens, and gentlemen's 



