The old hobbit farmer leads you over to a garden full of exotic shapes. Some of the bushes seem to be moving around, but most grow in simple and regular arrangements.

"First, ye've got to learn about the square! All the other patterns are nice, an' some of 'em look quite pretty, but when it comes time for business, ye can always count on the square."

"See, nice an' sturdy! If ye plant yer herbs in a square like that, they'll always be there for ye. An' let me show ye somethin' else about the square -- there's no other shape that can do this!" The old farmer walks over to a nearby patch of four bushes and yanks one of them out of the soil.

After a few minutes, a new bush starts growing where the previous one had been uprooted. "See that! If ye pull up one of the corners of the square, it grows right back!"

"Now, in addition to that, there are some other patterns that can be used for keepin' yer bushes in place. Some of 'em are best for showin' off, not real gardenin', but ye never know. If ye've got three bushes in a line, they spin around! Look at this!" The hobbit leads you over to an area with three healthy bushes.

You watch for a few minutes, and suddenly two of the bushes disappear, to be replaced by new plants.

"See, the one in the middle stayed in one place, but the edges flipped around. If ye keep watchin', it'll go back to the first line, an' then keep goin' back an' forth forever. But mind, ye can't pull up one of these like ye can with the square. If ye kill one of the three bushes, they'll all die. That's usually the way it is with any of the patterns, except the square.

"Most of the patterns I can show ye don't do any special tricks like the square or the row of three. They just sit there. But sometimes when ye're tryin' to harvest a crop, it's easier if ye don't have to go chasin' the plants all around the field, heh! Take a look at some of these."

"Finally, I'll show ye a few little tricks for showin' off. Sometimes, ye want to get a lot of bushes out there without havin' to plant all of 'em yerself. If ye just plant a few of 'em in a special way, though, ye can watch the bushes multiply an' plant themselves for ye! For beginners like ye, it may be best to start with simple lines.

"See, with just four of 'em, ye can get six!" You watch for a few minutes. The four bushes flip around twice, and finally end in one of the stable patterns of six that the farmer showed you earlier.

The farmer grins at you. You politely ignore the missing teeth. "Now can ye guess how many ye'll get if ye start with five?

"Now, stand back! Give 'em some room to grow!" You watch expectantly. Pretty soon, you see the bushes consolidate into a square, then start expanding outward. After a little while, the bushes end up in a pattern containing four of the spinning groups of three.

The old hobbit laughs and dances wildly. "Look, a whole dozen! That's almost twice as many as when they started out!

After a little while, the farmer calms down and looks at you more seriously. "But there's a lot more ye can get with just five seeds, if ye don't plant 'em in a simple line. But ye've got to be real careful. Maybe I shouldn't show ye this one at all, 'cause it can be dangerous."

You stand there with all the dignity you can muster. The farmer looks you over, then nods to himself. "Well, I guess ye'll know enough to be careful. I learned this one by accident one day, an' m' neighbors nearly had m' hide when m' herbs started growin' over into their cattle fields. Ye ever see what happens if a cow accidentally gets hold of some of these herbs? Hmm, no, I guess ye haven't. Well, trust me, it ain't pretty!" The old farmer composes himself, picks up a stick and begins drawing in the dirt. "All right, here's the secret. If ye plant five bushes in a special pattern, like this --

"-- mind ye, I'm only drawin' this one in the dirt. I'll never plant one of these patterns again unless it's inside of four walls. The walls will keep it from explodin' all over creation. Well, last time I saw this pattern, it just kept growin' an' growin', totally out of control! I think it's some sort of magical symbol, like a witch rune or somethin'." The farmer looks at you with concern, then quickly scratches out the deceptively simple pattern.

Head back.