CHAP. II.] RUTA BAGA CULTURE. 119 



tween growing plants, and especially if the earth 

 be moved deep (and, indeed, what American 

 does not know what such effect is, seeing that, 

 without it, there would be no Indian Corn?) 

 those that reflect on this effect, may guess at 

 the effect on my Ruta Baga plants, which soon 

 gave me, by their appearance, a decided proof, 

 that TULL'S principles are always true, in what 

 ever soil or climate applied. 



61 . It was now a very beautiful thing to see a 

 regular, unbroken line of fine, fresh-looking 

 plants upon the tops of those wide ridges, 

 which had been thought to be so very whimsical 

 and unnecessary. But, why have the ridges so 

 very wide? This question was not new to me, 

 who had to answer it a thousand times in Eng 

 land. It is because you cannot plough deep and 

 clean in a narrower space than four feet ; and, 

 it is the deep and clean ploughing that I regard 

 as the surest means of a large crop, especially 

 in poor, or indifferent ground. It is a great 

 error to suppose, that there is any ground lost 

 by these wide intervals. My crop of thirty-three 

 tons, or thirteen hundred and twenty bushels, to 

 the acre, taking a whole field together, had the 

 same sort of intervals ; while my neighbour's 

 with two feet intervals, never arrived at two- 

 thirds of the weight of that crop. There is no 

 ground lost ; for, any one, who has a mind to 

 do it, may satisfy himself, that the lateral roots 



