CHAP. II.] RUTA BAGA CULTURE. Ill 



the sandy. It is of a brownish colour about 

 eight inches deep ; then becomes more of a red 

 for about another eight inches ; and then comes 

 a mixture of yellowish sand and of pebbles, 

 which continues down to the depth of many 

 feet. 



46. So much for the nature of the land. As 

 to its state, it was that of as complete poverty 

 as can well be imagined. My main crop of 

 Ruta Baga was sown upon two different pieces* 

 One, of about three acres, had borne, in 1816, 

 some Indian corn stalks, together with immense 

 quantities of brambles, grass, and weeds, of all 

 descriptions. The other, of about four acres, 

 had, when I took to it, rye growing on it; but, 

 this rye was so poor, that my neighbour assured 

 me, that it could produce nothing, and he ad 

 vised me to let the cattle and sheep take it for 

 their trouble of walking over the ground, which 

 advice 1 readily followed ; but, when he heard 

 me say, that I intended to sow Russia turnips 

 on the same ground, he very kindly told me his 

 opinion of the matter, which was, that I should 

 certainly throw my labour wholly away. 



47. With these two pieces of ground I went 

 to work early in June. 1 ploughed them very 

 shallow, thinking to drag the grassy clods up 

 with the harrow, to put them in heaps and burn 

 them, in which case I would (barring the fiy!\ 

 have pledged my life for a crop of Ruta Baga. 



