120 KUTA BAGA CULTUBL. Part 1 . 



by name to come arid put their necks under the yoke, 

 drive them before him to his plough, just hitch a 

 hook on to the ring of the yoke, and then, without 

 any thing except a single chain and the yoke, with 

 no reins, no halters, no traces, no bridle, no dri- 

 ver, set on to plough, and plough a goodacre and a 

 lialf in the day ; to see this would make an English 

 farmer stare ; and well it might, when he looked 

 back to the ceremonious and expensive business of 

 keeping and managing a plough-team in England. 



125. These are the means, which I would, and 

 which I shall, use to protect my crops against the 

 effects of a dry season. So that, as every one has 

 the same means at his command, no one need be 

 afraid of drought. It is a bright plough-share that 

 it alwa3rs wanted much more than showers. With 

 this culture there is no fear of a crop ; and thougli 

 it amount to only tive hundred bushels on an acre, 

 what crop is /mi/' so valuable. 



126. The bulk of crop, however, in the broad- 

 r.ast, or random, method, may be materially affect- 

 ed by drought ; for, in that case, the plough can- 

 not come to supply the place of showers. The 

 ground there will be dry and keep dry in a dry 

 time ; as in the case of the supposed half rod of 

 undug ground in the garden. The weeds, too, will 

 come and help, by their roots, to suck the moisture 

 out of the ground. As to the hand-hoeings, they 

 may keep down weeds to be sure, and they raise a 

 t ^iHing portion of exhalation ; but, it is trifling in- 

 deed. Dry weather, if of long continuation, makes 

 the leaves become of a bluish colour; and, when 

 this is once the case, all the rain and all the tine 

 weather in the world will never make the crop a 

 good one ; because the plough cannot move amidst 

 this scene of endless irregularity. This is one of 

 the chief reasons why the ridge method is best. 



