A year's residence in the United States of America / [William Cobbett].
- William Cobbett
- Date:
- 1822
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: A year's residence in the United States of America / [William Cobbett]. Source: Wellcome Collection.
80/376 page 66
![77. But, as to the business of transplanting, there is one yery material observation to make. The ground ought to be as fresh; that is to say, as recently moved by the plough, as possible; and that for the reasons before stated. The way I go on is this: my land is put up into ridges,as described under the head of Man- ner of sowing. This is done before-hand, several days ; or, it may be, a week or more. When we have our plants and hands all ready, the plonghman begins, and turns in the ridges; that is to say, ploughs the ground back again, so that the top of the new-ploughed ridge stands over the place where the channel, or gutter, or deep furrow, was, before he began. As soon as he has finished the first ridge, the planters plant it; while he is loughing the second: and so on throughout the field. hat this is not a very tedious process the reader needs only to be told, that, in 1816, r had fifty-two acres of Ruta Baga planted in this way; and] think [had more than jifty thousand bushels, A smart hand will plant half an acre a-day, with a girl or a boy to drop the eee for him. I had aman, who planted an acre a ay many atime, But, supposing that a quarter of an acre is a day’s work, what are four days’ work, when put in competion with the value of an acre of this in- -yaluable root! And what farmer is there, who has common industry, who would grudge to bend his own back eight or twelve days, for the sake of keeping all his stock through the Spring months, when dry food is _loathsome to them, and when grass is by nature denied ? 78. Observing well what has been said about earth perfectly fresh, and never forgetting this, let us now talk _ about the act of planting ; the mere mechanical opera- tion of putting the plant into the ground. We have a setting-stick which should be the top of a spade-handle cut off, about ten inches below the eye. It must be pointed smoothly ; and, if it be shod with thin iron; that is to say, covered with an iron sheath, it will work more smoothly, and do its business the better. At any rate the point should be nicely smoothed, and so should the. whole of the tool. The planting is performed like that of cabbage-plants; but, as. I haye met with very. few persons, out of the market gardens, and gentlemeén’s](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b33028680_0080.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
