RUT 



whom we are obliged for a fpecimen. This fpecies is not 

 known in gardens. The Jlem is fhrubby, a fpan high, 

 much branched, particularly from the bafe, round, downy, 

 leafy. Leaves fcattered, feffile, downy, about half an inch, 

 or rather more, in length. Flowers fmall, five-cleft, yel- 

 lowifh, four or five together, forming (hort fimple clujlers 

 at the fummit of each branch. Calyx fringed with hairs, 

 like the lower part of the Jlamens. Germen deeply five- 

 lobed, clothed with fine hairs. The petals have (hort 

 claws, more evident, as Willdenow obferves, than in the 

 preceding. 



Ruta, in Gardening, contains plants of the under-fhrubby 

 evergreen kinds, of which the fpecies cultivated are : the 

 common rue (R. graveolens) ; the mountain rue (R. mon- 

 tana) ; the African rue (R. chalepenfis) ; and the three- 

 leaved rue ( R. patavina). 



In the firlt fort the varieties are ; the common broad- 

 leaved rue, the narrow-leaved rue, and the variegated-leaved 

 rue. 



And in the third kind there are varieties with broad 

 leaves and with narrow leaves. 



Method of Culture. — All the fpecies and varieties of thefe 

 plants may be readily increafed by feeds, flips, and cuttings. 

 The feed mould be fown in the open ground in March or 

 April, on a bed of light earth, raking it in : the plants 

 foon come up, which, when two or three inches high, (hould 

 be planted out in nurfery-rows, and watered till frelh rooted. 

 And from the fcattered or felf-fown feeds of the common 

 fort, many young plants often rife in autumn and fpring, 

 which form good plants ; but by flips or cuttings is the 

 mod expeditious method of railing all the forts, as every 

 flip or cutting of the young wood will readily grow. It 

 is the only method by which the different varieties can be 

 continued diftinft. The flips or cuttings (hould be made 

 from the young fhoots fix or eight inches long, and planted 

 in a fhady border, in rows half a foot afunder, giving a 

 good watering, and repeating it occafionally ; by which 

 they will foon emit roots below and fhoots at top, fo as to 

 form little bufhy plants by the autumn following. And 

 they all afford variety in the borders and other parts of 

 gardens and pleafure-grounds, and the firft fort and varie- 

 ties are alfo ufeful medicinal plants. The third fort (hould 

 have a dry foil and (heltered fituation, otherwife it does not 

 fucceed well. 



Some of thefe plants may be ufed for variety in the 

 borders and other parts of pleafure-grounds, gardens, &c. 



Ruta, in the Materia Medica. See Rue. 



Ruta Baga, in Agriculture, a plant of the turnip kind, 

 which has lately been introduced into field culture with great 

 benefit to the farmer, as affording a fupply ef green food for 

 the fupport and fattening of fheep or other live-dock, be- 

 tween the common turnip and grafs feafons. This root has 

 been confidered by fome as a mere variety of the yellow 

 turnip, but it is found to differ very materially from it both 

 in texture and other properties. With refpeft to the top, or 

 item, it has fomething of the appearance of the rape, or 

 cabbage kind ; and the bottom, or that part of the root- 

 bulb which is above the furface of the ground, is covered 

 by a thick, green, tough cuticle or flcin, which in fome is 

 fmooth, but in others quite rough, and the internal flefhy 

 part is of a denfe, clofe, firm confidence, having a yellowifh 

 tinge, nearly fimilar to that of the horn carrot. It has indeed 

 been fufpe&ed by fome that there are two varieties of this 

 valuable plant, the one having a white, and the other zyellotu 

 root, the latter being confidered as much the bed ; but this 

 feems to have arifen from their having been grown from feed 

 eolle&ed in the neighbourhood of plants of the turnip or 



RUT 



cole kinds, as is fully fhewn in the Surveys of the North 

 Riding of Yorkfhire and Nottinghamfhire. 



But the great inducements for the farmer to enter freely 

 into the culture of this root are, according to Mr. Young, 

 I. If he has the right fort of feed, the root yellow in flefn, 

 and rough in coat, it lafts through all frotts, and may be de- 

 pended on for fheep quite through the month of April, 

 though drawn two months before, and fpread on a grafs 

 field. 2. It is an excellent and nourifhing food for fheep, 

 and alfo for anv fort of cattle. 3. It is equal to potatoes, 

 in keeping flock fwine : a point of very great confequence. 

 4. It is, next to carrots, the very befl food that can be given 

 to horfes. 5. It is fown at a feafon which leaves ample time, 

 in cafe of a failure, to put in common turnips, or cabbages. 



And in regard to the foils moft proper for this root, 

 thofe of the good, rich, loamy kinds are perhaps the beft ; 

 but it may be grown to advantage on many of thofe that 

 are too moid and heavy for the common turnip ; where the 

 la»d has been brought into a tolerably perfect flate of pulve- 

 rization and mellownels, and been well enriched with manure 

 before the feed was put into the ground, or the plants fet 

 out upon it ; as it has been perhaps from the want of this 

 full preparation of the land, and the putting in the feed of a 

 bad kind, and at too late a period, that cultivators of this 

 ufeful root have been fo frequently difappointed in obtaining 

 good crops. 



Seed. — In procuring thefeed.it fhould always be colle&ed 

 from fuch plants as have been tranlplanted, and which are 

 the moft perfeft of their kind, as where this is not the cafe, 

 the cultivator can never be certain of having his plants of the 

 proper fort. The writer of the Eafl Lothian Report on Agri- 

 culture has indeed obferved, that as no dependence can be 

 placed on the feed purchafed in the fhops, every farmer ought 

 to raife feed for himfelf : this may be done with very little 

 trouble, and at no expence ; it is only neceflary that the 

 feed-plants be carefully placed by them (elves, and not allowed 

 to be near other plants bearing flowers or leed, while they 

 are in the fame date. The danger feems to refult from 

 plants of kinds nearly related to each other mixing the 

 farina of their flowers, when growing to feed. The ruta 

 baga feems much liable to fome adulteration of this kind, and 

 unlefs farmers guard againlt it, by taking the trouble to 

 preferve their own feed, they need hardly expeci it genuine. 



With refpeft to the quantity or proportion of feed that 

 is made ufe of where the broad-caft method is employed, it is 

 generally about two pounds to the acre ; but where the drill 

 plan is purfued, a fomewhat fmaller proportion may be fuffi- 

 cient : however, as it is moftly found difficult to produce a 

 iufficient plant of this crop, it may be advifeable never to be 

 too fparing in the article of feed. In all cafes new feed is to 

 be conftantly preferred, and when the feafon is hot and dry, 

 it may be of utility to have it prepared by fteeping a (hort 

 time before fowing it. 



In what regards the time of fowing, as this plant is much 

 flower in its vegetation than that of the common turnip, it 

 ought to be fowu or put into the ground at an earlier period, 

 by which circumftance, it will not only be more forwarded 

 for the hoe, and more fully fixed and eltablifhed in the foil, 

 but better protected from the attacks of the fly, and the 

 heats of the enfuing fummer months. It has been the too 

 common practice of farmers to fow this crop at the fame 

 time with that of the common turnip, by which the crops 

 have often failed. But if put in a month or fix weeks 

 fooner, it will be found more advantageous, as from about 

 the latter end of April to the middle of May, or perhaps a 

 little later in the northern diitri&s, as is fhewn by the agri- 

 cultural furveys of thefe counties. In different places dif- 

 ferent 



