Chap. ir. ftUTA BAGA CULTURE. 03 



spade or shovel or some other flat instrument. A 

 slight roller to take two ridges at once, the horse 

 walking in the gutter between, is what I used to 

 make use of when I sowed on ridges ; and, who can 

 want such a roller in America, as long as he has an 

 axe and an auger in his house ? Indeed this whole 

 matter is such a trifle, wdien compared with the 

 importance of the object, that it is not to be belie- 

 ved, that any man Avill think it worth the smallest 

 notice as counted amongst the means of obtaining 

 that object. 



^ 55. Broad-cast sowing will, however, probably, 

 be, in most cases, preferred ; and, this mode of 

 sowing is pretty well understood from general ex- 

 perience. What is required here are, that the 

 ground be well ploughed, finely harrowed, and the 

 seeds thinly and evenly sown over it, to the amount 

 of about two pounds of seed to an acre ; but, then, 

 if the weather be dry, the seed should, by all 

 means, be rolled down. When I have spoken of 

 the after culture, I shall compare the two methods 

 of sowing : the ridge and the broad-cast, in order 

 that the reader may be the better able to say, which 

 of the two is entitled to the preference. 



After Culture. 



56. It relating to what I did in this respect, i 

 shall take it for granted, that the reader will under- 

 stand me as describing what I think ought to be 

 done. 



67. When my ridges were laid up, and my seed 

 was sown, my neighbours thought, that there was 

 an end of the process ; for, they all said, that, if 

 the seed ever came up, being upon those high 

 ridges, the plants never could live under the scorch- 

 ing of the sun. I knew, that this was an erroneous 

 notion ; but, I had not much confidence in the 



