98 RuTA Baga culture, [Part I. 



but, upon this Island, I am very sure, that it is neither 

 convenient nor necessary to a farm. " ^Vhat ! " the 

 ladies will say, " would you have us to be shut up at 

 home all our lives; or be dragged about by oxen?" 

 By no means ; not 1 ! I should be very sorry to be 

 thought the author of any such advice. I have no sort 

 of objection to the keeping of horses upon a farm; but, 

 I do insist upon it, that all the food and manual la- 

 bour required by such horses, ought to be considered 

 as so much taken from the clear profits of the farm. 



152. I have made sheep, and particularly lambs, 

 a part of my supposed stock ; but, I do not know, that 

 I should keep any beyond what might be useful for my 

 house. Hogs are the most profitable stock, if 30U 

 have a large quantity of the food that they Avill thrive 

 on. They are yb?fZ feeders; but, they will eat nothing that 

 is poor in its nature ; that is to say, they will not thrive 

 on it. They are the most able tasters in all the crea- 

 tion ; and, that which they like best, you may be quite 

 sure has the greatest proportion of nutritious matter in 

 it, from a white turnip to a piece of beef. They will 

 prefer meat to corn, and cooked meat to raw ; they will 

 leave parsnips for corn or grain ; they will leave carrots 

 for parsnips ; they will leave Ruta Baga for carrots ; 

 they will leave cabbages for Ruta Baga; they will 

 leave Mangel Wurzel for cabbages; they will" leave 

 potatoes (both being raAV) for Mangel Wurzel. A white 

 turnip they will not touch, unless they be on the point 

 of starving. They are the best of triers. Whatever 

 they prefer is sure to be the richest thing within their 

 reach. The parsnip is, by many degrees, the richest 

 root ; but, the seed lies long in the ground ; the sowing 

 and after-culture are works of great niceness. The 

 crop is large with good cultivation , but, as a main 

 crop, I prefer the Ruta Baga, of which the crop is im- 

 mense, and the harvesting, and preserving, and appli- 

 cation of which, are so easy. 



153. The farm I suppose to be in fair condition to 

 start with ; the usual grass seeds soAvn, and so forth ; 

 and every farmer will see, that, under my system, it 

 must soon become rich as any garden need to be, with- 

 out my sending men and liorses to the water-side to 



