Chap, v.] Transplanting Indian Corn. 137 



foot I "What a mortification ! Half an acre of fine cab- 

 bages nearly destroyed by the biting a hole in the hearts 

 of a great part of them ; turnips torn up and trampled 

 about ; a scene of destruction and waste, which, at 

 another time, would have made me stamp and ra^-e 

 (if not swear) like a mad-man, seemed now nothing at 

 all. The Corn was such a blow, that nothing else was 

 lelt. I was, too, both hand-tied and tongue-tied. I 

 had nothing to wreak my vengeance on. In the case 

 of the Boroughmongers 1 can repay blow Anth bloAV, 

 and, as they have already felt, witli interest and com- 

 pound interest. But, there Avas no human being that I 

 could blame ; and, as to the depredators themselves, 

 though in this instance, their conduct did seem Avorthy 

 of another being, whom priests have chosen to furnish 

 with horns as well as tail, what was I to do against 

 them ? in short, I had, lor once in my life, to submit 

 |ieaccably and quietly, and to content myself with a 

 firm resolution never to plant, or sow, again, without the 

 protection of a fence, Avhich an ox cannot get over and 

 which a pig cannot go under. 



220. This Corn had every disadvantage to contend 

 with : poor land ; no manure but earth-ashes burnt out 

 of that same land ; planted in dry earth ; planted in 

 dry and hot weather ; no rain to enter Uco inches, until 

 the 8lh of August, nine and thirty days after the trans- 

 planting ; and yet, everi/ plant had one good perfect ear, 

 and, besides, a small ear to each plant; and some of the 

 plants had three ears, two perfect and one imperfect. 

 Even the tico last-planted rows, though they were not so 

 good, were not bad. My opinion is, that their produce 

 would have been at the rate of 25 busliels to the acre ; 

 and this is not a bad crop of Corn. 



221. For my part, if i should cidtivate Corn again, I 

 shall transplant it to a certainty. Ten days earlier, 

 perhaps ; but I shall certainly transplant what I grow. 

 I know, that the labour nill be Icfs, and I believe that 

 the crop will be far greater. No dropping the seed ; 

 no hand-hoeing ; no patching after the cut-worm, or 

 brown grub; no suckers; no grass and weeds ; no 

 stifling ; every plant has its proper space ; all is clean ; 

 and one good deep ploughing, or two at most, leaves the 



