112 RUTA BAGA CULTURE. [PART I. 



It adversely happened to rain, when my clods 

 should have been burnt, and the furrows were 

 so solidly fixed down by the rain, that I could 

 not tear them up with the harrow ; and, be 

 sides, my time of sowing came on apace. Thus 

 situated, and having no faith in what I was told 

 about the dangers of deep ploughing, I fixed 

 four oxen to a strong plough, and turned up 

 soil that had not seen the sun for many, many 

 long years. Another soaking rain came very 

 soon after, and went, at once, to the bottom of 

 my ploughing, instead of being carried away 

 instantly by evaporation. I then harrowed the 

 ground down level, in order to keep it moist 

 as long as I could ; for the sun now began to 

 be the thing most dreaded. 



48. In the meanwhile I was preparing my 

 manure. There was nothing of the kind visible 

 upon the place. But, I had the good luck to 

 follow a person, who appears not to have 

 known much of the use of brooms. By means 

 of sweeping and raking and scratching in and 

 round the house, the barn, the stables, the hen 

 roost, and the court and yard, I got together 

 about four hundred bushels of not very bad 

 turnip manure. This was not quite 60 bushels 

 to an acre for my seven acres ; or, three gallons 

 to every square rod. ' 



49. However, though I made use of these 

 beggarly means, I would not be understood to 



