CHAP. II.] RUTA BAGA CULTURE. 177 



be done, and the distance is within twenty or 

 thirty miles on the best road in the world, it 

 will, of course, be done ; but, my calculations 

 are built upon a supposed consumption of the 

 whole upon the farm by animals of one sort or 

 another. 



143. My feeding would be nearly as follows. 

 I will begin with February ; for, until then, the 

 Ruta Baga does not come to its sweetest taste. 

 It is like an apple, that must have time to 

 ripen ; but, then, it retains its goodness much 

 longer. I have proved, and especially in the 

 feeding of hogs, that the Ruta Baga is never 

 so good, till it arrives at a mature state. In 

 February, and about the first of that month, I 

 should begin bringing in my Ruta Baga, in the 

 manner before described. My three oxen, which 

 would have been brought forward by other 

 food to be spoken of by and by, would be tied 

 up in a stall looking into one of those fine com 

 modious barn's floors which we have upon this 

 island. Their stall should be warm, and they 

 should be kept well littered, and cleaned out 

 frequently. The Ruta Baga just chopped into 

 large pieces with a spade or shovel, and tossed 

 into the manger to the oxen at the rate of about 

 two bushels a day to each ox, would make 

 them completely fat, without the aid of corn, 

 hay, or any other thing. I should, probably, 

 kill one ox at Christmas, and, in that case, 



PART I. N 



