Bava Batra — Daf 54a

דשדא ליפתא בי פילי דארעא דגר לא הוי חזקה מאי טעמא בעידנא דשדא לא הוי שבחא השתא דקא שבח ממילא קא שבח

אמר שמואל האי מאן דפשח דיקלא אדעתא דדיקלא קני אדעתא דחיותא לא קני היכי דמי שקל מהאי גיסא ומהאי גיסא אדעתא דדיקלא כולא מחד גיסא אדעתא דחיותא

ואמר שמואל האי מאן דזכי זיכיא אדעתא דארעא קני אדעתא דציבי לא קני היכי דמי שקל רברבי וזוטרי אדעתא דארעא שקל רברבי ושבק זוטרי אדעתא דציבי

ואמר שמואל האי מאן דאתקיל תיקלא אדעתא דארעא קני אדעתא דבי דרי לא קני היכי דמי שקל מוליא ושדא בנצא אדעתא דארעא מוליא במוליא ונצא בנצא אדעתא דבי דרי

ואמר שמואל האי מאן דפתח מיא בארעא אדעתא דארעא קני אדעתא דכוורי לא קני היכי דמי פתח תרי בבי חד מעייל וחד מפיק אדעתא דכוורי חד בבא אדעתא דארעא

ההיא איתתא דאכלה דיקלא בתפשיחא תליסר שנין אתא ההוא רפיק תותיה פורתא אתא לקמיה דלוי ואמרי לה קמיה דמר עוקבא אוקמיה בידיה אתאי קא צווחא קמיה אמר לה מאי אעביד לך דלא אחזיקת כדמחזקי אינשי

אמר רב הצר צורה בנכסי הגר קנה דרב לא קני לגנתא דבי רב אלא בצורתא:

איתמר שדה המסויימת במצריה אמר רב הונא אמר רב כיון שהכיש בה מכוש אחד קנה כולה ושמואל אמר לא קנה אלא מקום מכושו בלבד

throws vegetable seeds into the crevices of a proselyte's land, this act does not confer a title of ownership. The reason is that at the time of his throwing [the seeds] no improvement is effected, and the subsequent improvement  comes automatically. Samuel said: If a man strips the branches from a date tree, if his purpose is [to improve] the tree.  he acquires ownership [by so doing],  but if his purpose is [to procure food] for his cattle, he does not acquire ownership. How can we tell [which is which]? If he takes the branches from all round, then [we know that] his purpose is [to improve] the tree, but if from one side only, then it is for the sake of his cattle. Samuel further said: If a man clears a field [of sticks etc.], if his purpose is [to prepare] the soil [for ploughing], he thereby acquires ownership,  but if it is to obtain firewood, he does not. How can we tell [which is which]? — If he picks up [all the sticks,] both big and small, then [we know] his purpose is to prepare the soil, but if he takes the big ones and leaves the little ones, then [we know that] he merely wants firewood. Samuel further said: If a man levels a field,  if his purpose is [to prepare] the soil [for ploughing] he thereby acquires ownership, but if he only wants to make threshing floors, he does not acquire ownership. How can we tell [which is which]? — If he has taken earth from the protuberances and thrown it into the depressions, then we know that his purpose is [to prepare] the soil,  but if he merely smoothes out the protuberances or levels up the hollows, we know that he intended to make threshing floors. Samuel further said: If a man turns water into a field [from a stream], if he does so to irrigate the ground, he thereby acquires ownership, but if only to bring fish in, he does not acquire ownership. How can we know which is which? — If he makes two sluices, one to let the water in and one to let it out, we [know that] he is after the fish, but if one sluice  then we know that his chief purpose is irrigate the field. A certain woman had the usufruct of a date tree  to the extent of lopping its branches for thirteen years [to give food to her cattle]. A man then came and hoed under it a little [and claimed ownership]. He applied to Levi [or as some say to Mar 'Ukba] who confirmed his title to the field. The woman came and complained bitterly to him, but he said: What can I do for you, seeing that you did not establish your title in the proper way? Rab said: If a man draws a figure [of an animal or bird]  on the property of a [deceased] proselyte, he acquires ownership. [We ascribe this opinion to Rab] because Rab acquired the garden adjoining his Beth Hamidrash only by drawing a figure. It has been stated: If a field  has a boundary marked all round R. Huna says in the name of Rab that as soon as a man digs up one spadeful he becomes the legal owner. Samuel, however, said that he becomes the owner only of as much as he turns up.