434 FARMER'S ASSISTANT. 



Let the sward be broken in the Fall, and the ground 

 ploughed and harrowed again in the Spring. The crop 

 should be put in as early as the ground can be properly 

 prepared. Where the sward can be completely turned over, 

 this may be done as early in the Spring as possible, and the 

 crop sowed or planted, as the case may be, on the sward, 

 after it has first had about twenty-tour bushels of lime to 

 the acre, and this harrowed in. 



The seeds may be sown in the broadcast way, and the 

 plants afterwards thined in hoeing, similar to the common 

 method of cultivating turnips; or they may be drilled in 

 rows, or planted in the quincux way; and for this latter 

 purpose a board, with pegs set into it diagonally, at the 

 distance of twenty inches, or twenty-four, if the soil be very 

 strong, is used to make the holes for the seed, and into each 

 hole three or four seeds are to be droped, and covered with 

 the roller, or the harrow. 



Mr Parish says he has been most successful in this latter 

 mode of planting. Land cannot be too rich for the crop; 

 and it often fails when cultivated on land not sufficiently 

 strong, or moist, or when the hoeing is not well attended to, 

 and weeds are suffered to rise. In hoeing, some earth 

 should be drawn round the plants. If the season will admit 

 of puting the seeds into the ground so early, as to have the 

 plants strong before dry weather comes 6n, there will be 

 almost a certainty of a good crop, where the land is of the 

 right kind, sufficiently rich, and well cultivated. 



Previous to commiting the seeds to the earth, they should 

 be soaked in water, with a mixture of fresh-slaked lime 

 and soot, until they begin to vegetate, and break the pods 

 in which each seed is enclosed. If the ground be moist,, 

 the young plants will appear in a few days. 



Mr. Parish also advises, to strew more fresh-slaked lime 

 on the surface of the ground, after planting, or sowing; 

 when, if showers invite grubs or snails to eat the young 

 plants, this manure will destroy these insects. But perhaps 

 this may as well be omited, until it be seen whether the 

 young plants become infested with these enemies ; and, on 

 their first appearance, strew on the lime, as before mention- 

 ed* and this will soon destroy them. 



He also says, that he once cultivated this crop for three 

 years successively on the same ground; but found this to be 

 an error; for, after the plants came up strong and healthy, 

 they were soon observed to decay and wither; and on exam- 

 ining the roots he found them attacked by the wireworm. 

 He, however, destroyed these by applying forty-eight bush- 

 els of fresh-slaked lime to the acre, and harrowing it in 

 which gave him a good crop. 



