80 RUTA BAGA cuLTiniE. Part I. 



harrow, to put them in heaps and burn them, in 

 which case I would (barring the fly .'), have pledged 

 my life for a crop of Ruta Baga. It adversely 

 happened to 7-ai7i when my clods should have been 

 burnt, and the furrows were so solidly fixed down 

 by the rain, that I could not tear them up with the 

 harrow ; and, besides, my time of sowiiig came on 

 apace. Thus situated, and having no faith in 

 what I was told about the dangers of deep plough- 

 ing, I fixed four oxen to a strong plough, and 

 turned up soil that had not seen the sun for many, 

 many long years. Another soaking rain came very 

 •goon after, and went, at once, to the bottom of my 

 ploughing, instead of being carried awa}' instantly by 

 evaporation. 1 then harrowed the ground down 

 level, in order to keep it moist as long as I could ; 

 for the sun now began to be the thing most dreaded. 



48. In the meanwhile I was preparing my ma- 

 nure. There was nothing of the kind visible upon 

 the place. But, I had the good luck to follow a 

 person, who appears not to have known much of 

 the use of brooms. By means of sweeping and 

 raking and scratching in and round the house, the 

 barn, the stables, the hen roost, ant] the court and 

 yard, I got together about four hundred bushels of 

 not very bad turnip manure. This was not quite 

 60 bushels to an acre for my seven acres 5 or. 

 THREE GALLONS to every square rod. 



49. However, though I made use of these beg- 

 garly means, I would not be understood to recom- 

 mend the use of such means to others. On the 

 contrary, I should have preferred good and clean 

 land and plenty of manure ; but, of this I shall 

 speak again, when I have given an account of the 

 Manner of ,%mng and of Transplanting. 



