94 



THE AMERICAN GARDENER. [Chap 



all bigger, as they stand nearer to the end B, it is a 

 proof they all extend to the outside of the piece, 

 and the Turnip 20, will appear to draw nourish- 

 ment from six foot distance from its centre. But if 

 the Turnips 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, acquire no greater 

 bulk than the Turnip 15, it will be clear, that their 

 roots extend no farther than those of the Turnip 15 

 does ; which is but about 4 foot. By this method 

 the distance of the extent of roots of any plant, may 

 be discovered. — There is also another way to find 

 the length of roots^ by making a long narrow trench, 

 at the distance you expect they will extend to, and 

 fill it with salt ; if the plant be killed by the salt, it 

 is certain that some of the roots enter it. 



185. What put me upon trying this method was 

 an observation of two lands, or ridges (See Plate 

 II. Fig, 2.) drilled with Turnips in rows, a foot 

 asunder, and very even in them; the ground, at 

 both ends and one side, was hard and unploughed. 

 The Turnips not being hoed were very poor, small, 

 and yellow, except the three outside rows h c d 

 which stood next to the land (or Ridge) £, w^hich 

 land, being ploughed and harrowed, at the time the 

 land A ought to have been hoed, gave a dark flou- 

 rishing colour to these three rows ; and the Turnips 

 in the row which stood farthest ofi" from the new - 

 ploughed land received so much benefit from it, 

 as to grow twice as big as any of the more distant [ 

 rows. The row c being a foot nearer to the new \ 

 ploughed land, became twice as large as those in 

 but the row 5, which was next to the land -E, grew 

 much larger yet. jP is a piece of hard whole ^ 

 ground, of about two perch in length, and about two 

 or three foot broad, lying betwixt those two lands, ^ 

 which had not been ploughed that year ; it was re- 

 markable, that during the length of this interjacent 



