Chap. If. RUTA BAGA CULTURE. 125 



given the pigs a handful of any other sort of food, 

 sold out his pigs as fat porkers. And, indeed, it is a 

 fact well known, that sheep and cattle as well as hogs 

 will thrive upon this root after it has borne seed, 

 which is what, I believe, can be said of no other 

 root or plant. 



135. When we feed oif our Ruta Baga in the 

 fields, in England, by sheep, there are small parts 

 left by the sheep ; the shells which they have left 

 after scooping out the pulp of the bulb ; the tap 

 root ; and other little bits. These are pecked out 

 of the ground ; and when washed by the rain, 

 other sheep follow and live upon these. Or, in 

 default of other sheep, hogs or cattle are turned in 

 in dry weather, and they leave not a morsel. 



136. Nor are the greens to be forgotten. In 

 England, they are generally eaten by the sheep, 

 when these are turned in upon them. When the 

 roots are taken up for uses at the home-stead, the 

 greens are given to store pigs and lean cattle. I 

 cut mine oif, while the roots were in the ground, 

 and gave them to fatting cattle upon grass land 

 alternately with Indian Corn in the ear ; and, in 

 this way, they are easily and most profitably ap- 

 plied, and they come, too, just after the grass is 

 gone from the pastures. An acre produces about 

 four good wagon loads of greens ; and they are 

 taken off fresh and fresh as they are wanted, and, 

 at the same time, the roots are thus made ready 

 for going, at once, into the heaps. Pigs, sheep, 

 cattle ; all like the greens as well as they do the 

 roots. Try any of them with the greens of White 

 Turnips ; and, if they touch them, they will have 

 changed their natures, or at least, their tastes. 



137. The Mangle Wurzle, the Cabbage, the 

 Carrot, and the Parsnip, are all useful ; and, the 

 latter^ that is to say, the Parsnip, very valuable 

 indeed ; but, the main cattle-crop is the Ruta 

 Baga. Even the White Turnip, if well cultivated , 



11* 



