ON ROOT CROPS. 83 



2d, the manure may thus be brought into the imme- 

 diate vicinity of the plants. Now these objects are 

 important, when the soil is both thin and poor, as is 

 the case with too much of our land. I am aware 

 that the notion is almost universally prevalent, that if 

 roots are allowed to come in contact with unrotted 

 manure, they will become scabby and be injured. 

 This I believe is a groundless prejudice, something like 

 cows being spoiled by being kept fat, or in conse- 

 quence of being allowed to eat apples, &c. I have, 

 for more than ten years, seen roots of all kinds ma- 

 nured with unfermented manure, but I have never 

 discovered that they were injured in the slightest de- 

 gree, but on the contrary the crop has always been 

 better as more manure was applied. 



There are two Avays of rigding, both of which I have 

 found to succeed. 1st, Let the land be ploughed 

 and harrowed, and then with a light plough draw fur- 

 rows, 28 or 30 inches asunder. Into these furrows 

 put the manure. Then plough on each side towards 

 this furrow, and thus form a ridge over the manure. 

 These ridges may be flattened by passing a light 

 roll over them lengthwise, or by cutting down the top 

 with a hoe, leaving the ridge about 10 or 12 inches 

 wide. This way I prefer, when I have but little ma- 

 nure and wish to make the most of it. The other I 

 suppose to leave the land in the best state for a suc- 

 cessful crop. It is the following : Spread the manure 

 upon the land and plough it in as usual ; harrow it 

 well to pulverize the soil and mix the manure ; then 

 form the ridges by ploughing two furrows towards 

 each other, and flatten them as before. The best 

 method of opening the ground for the seed is by 

 means of a broad wheel or shafts hke a wheel bar- 

 row, with a triangular rirn round the circumference. 

 This passed along the ridge, will open a groove of 

 even depth, into which the seed may be dropped two 

 or three inches apart. The seed may be sown from 



