Chap. II. RXJTA BAGA CULTCRL. 7o 



red ; and, that the inside of the bulb, if the sort be 

 true and pure, is of a deep yellow, nearly as deep 

 as that of gold. 



Mode of saving and of preserving the Seed. 



31. This is rather a nice business, and should 

 be, by no means, executed in a negligent manner. 

 For, on the well-attending to this, much of the suc- 

 cess depends ; and, it is quite surprising how great 

 losses are, in the end, frequently sustained by the 

 .saving, in this part of the business, of an hour's la- 

 bour or attention. I, one year, lost more than half 

 of what would have been an immense crop, by a 

 mere piece of negligence in my bailiff as to the 

 seed, and I caused a similar loss to a gentleman in 

 Berkshire, who had his seed from the same parcel 

 that mine was taken, and who had sent many miles 

 for it, in order to have the best in the world. 



32. The Ruta Baga is apt to degenerate^ if- the 

 seed be not saved with care. We, in England, 

 select the plants to be saved for seed. We exam- 

 ine well to find out those that run least into neck 

 and green. We reject all such as approach at all 

 towards a whitish colour, or which are even of a 

 greenish colour towards the neck, where* there ought 

 to be a little reddish cast. 



33. Having selected the plants with great care, 

 we take them up out of the place where they have 

 grown, and plant them in a plot distant from every 

 thing of the Turnip or Cabbage kind which is to 

 bear seed. In this Island, I am now, at this time, 

 planting Tnine for se*d (27th March), taking all our 

 English precautii)ns. It is probable, that they 

 would do very well, if taken out of a heap to be 

 transplanted, if well selected ; but, lest this should 

 not do well, I have kept my selected plants all the/ 



7 



