Chap. H. RUTA BAGA CULTURE. 85 



another from the same side of the other ridge coming 

 down. In the taking away of the last two furrows, 

 we went within three inches of the turnip-plants. — • 

 Thus there was a ridge over the original gutter. 

 Then we turned these furrows back again to the 

 turnips. And, having gone, in this manner, ovfir 

 the whole piece, there it was with not a weed alive- 

 in it. All killed by the sun, and the field as clean 

 and as fine as any garden that ever was seen. 



60. Those who know the effect of tillage between 

 growing plants^ and especially if the earth be moved 

 deep ; and, indeed, what American does not know 

 what such effect is, seeing that, without it, there 

 would be no Indian Corn ; those that reflect on this 

 effect, may guess at the effect on my Ruta Baga 

 plants, which soon gave me by their appearance 

 a decided proof, that Tull's principles are always 

 true, in whatever soil or climate applied. 



61. It was now a very beautiful thing to see, a 

 regular, unbroken line of fine, fresh-looking plants 

 upon the tops of those wide ridges, which had been 

 thought to be so very whimsical and unnecessary. 

 But, why have the ridges so very wide? This 

 question was not new to me, who had to answer 

 it a thousand times in England. It is because you 

 rannot plough deep and clean in a narrower space 

 than four feet ; and, it is the deep and clean 

 ploughing that j regard as the surest mfeans of a 

 large crop, especially in poor, or indifferent ground. 

 It is a great error to suppose, that there is any 

 ground lost by these wide intervals. My crop of 

 thirty-three tons, or, thirteen hundred and twenty 

 bushels, to the acre, taking a whole field together, 

 had the same sort of intervals, while my neigh- 

 bours, with two feet intervals, never arrived at two- 

 thirds of the weight of thai crop. There is no 

 ground lost ; for, any one wbo has a mind to do it, 

 may satisfy himself, that the lateral roots of any fine 

 large turnip will extend more than six feet from the 



