536 EUROPEAN AGRICULTURE. 



which have received too little dirt upon them, and to set up 

 those which have fallen down. 



The plants, which are grown in a nursery bed, should have 

 plenty of room ; and soot is recommended as an excellent manure &quot;^ 

 for them, as well as for the field after they have been trans- / 

 planted. , The plants, which are designed to be set out, are some- 

 X times kept out of ground five or six days. The design of this 

 &quot;s is to check vegetatian, so that they may not advance too rapidly 

 ^before the winter, lest the severe frosts should injure them. It 

 is not considered indispensable to manure the field upon which 

 the crop is to be planted, if it is in a good state, or if the previous 

 crop has been manured, though the crop will bear the usual 

 relation to the richness of the land. 



The crop follows rye or wheat with advantage, or clover ; but 

 in the case of rye or wheat, the stubble is to be thoroughly 

 cleaned. The crop is to be hoed during its growth, and earth 

 drawn round the plants. The plant has dangerous enemies in 

 flies and bugs which attack it. Against the flies a dusting of 

 quicklime is sometimes of use ; but the bugs are with difficulty 

 dislodged, unless by a frost. The frosts, however, when they 

 occur nightly, with warm days, are injurious to the plant; much,) 

 less, however, when the frosts are followed by fogs. It is the 

 habit of small farmers to pluck a portion of the leaves as food 

 for their stock ; but this is attended by a diminution of the 

 product. 



The harvesting of the crop is a business requiring much care. 

 It must be gathered before it is completely ripe. In good weather 

 it can be laid in small heaps and dried, and then shelled out on 

 cloths upon the field : or it may be stored in a barn after it has 

 become sufficiently dry. In wet weather it may be headed up 

 with layers of straw between the layers of colza, until a return 

 of good weather. If suffered to become too dry, it is liable to 

 lose much by shelling out. In cutting with a sickle, the work 

 man is cautioned against taking too many stalks in his hand at 

 one time, as more likely, by so doing, to shake out the seed. 



I have already spoken of the value of the cakes as manure, 

 though they have been much used of late for feeding stock, which 

 they informed me at Courtray was a modern practice. The 

 clean cultivation of colza, and the ample manuring, serve emi 

 nently to prepare the land for wheat. 



