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ground mufl: be harrowed to receive. Ae feeds, which 

 Ihould be fown either in. rows with the drill f^lough, 

 or in brcad-caft, after the common method ; but ir will 

 be proper tofteep the feeds one night in water before 

 they are fown, which will prepare them for vegetation : 

 if the feeds are fdwn in drills with a plough, they will 

 be covered by an inltrument fixed to the plouo-h for 



* that purpofe ; but thofe which are fbwh broad<:aft in 

 - the common way, muft be well harrowed in. If the 

 feeds are good and the feafon favourable, the plap.ts 

 will appear in a fortnight, and in a month or five 

 weeks after will be fit to hoe ; for the fooner this is 

 perforfned wh^n tlie plants are diftinguifhable, the 

 better they wifl thrive, and the weeds being; thea 

 young, will be foon deftroyed.,-,The method of hoe- 

 iiig thcfe plants is tfie lame as for Turneps, with this 

 '^ 'difference only,' that thefe plants' need not be thinned 

 fo much i for at the firft hoeing, if they are fepafated 

 to the diftance of three 9^ foyr inches^ and at the laft 



' to fix incheS;, it will be fpace enough for the growth 

 of the plants -, if this is carefully performed, and in 



^^^ry weather, moft of the weeds will be deflroyed : 

 but as fome of them may efcape in this operation. 



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to let the earth fall from their roots ; the pots flibuld 

 alio be plunged into a moderate hot-bed, giving the 

 plants plenty of air at all times when the weather 

 will permit, and fupporting their ftalks, which will 

 otherwife trail on the ground ; with this management 

 the plants will flower in June, and ripen their feeds 

 in September. ^ ^ 



The three laft forts are not cultivated for ufe, fo 

 are only preferved in botanic gardens for the fake of 

 variety j the fecond and third forts are propagated by 

 feeds, which fhould be fown in autumn ; and 'when' 

 the plants come up, they muft be thinned," leaving 

 them fix inches apart j afterward they muft be kept 

 clean from weeds: the fummer following they will 

 fiowfer and produce ripe feeds, after which thefe forts 

 foon decay ; the roots of the firft fort will live another 

 ^ Vtar. The firft fort which is propagated for ufe, is fown 

 upon freih land which is in go6d heart, for which the 

 cultivators of Woad pay a large rent ; they, generally ^ 

 chufe to have their land fituated near great towns, 

 where there is plenty of drefiiiig, but they never ftay 

 lon^on the fame fpot, for'th'e beft ground" will not ' 

 admit of being fown with Woad 'itiof^' than twice j 



for if it is oftener repeated, the crop feldom pays the j • and young weeds will arife, fo the ground fhould be 



a fecond time hoed JnOftober, ^always chufing a dry 



^ tmiefbr this wort ; at this fecond operation, the plants 



fhould be fingled out to the diftance they are to re- 



/^ main. After this the ground will be clean from weeds 



V .till the fpring, wb'sn young \veeds will come up, there- 



. fore about a fortnight in April will be a good time 



; to hoe the ground agalny wheri the weeds will be 



'yoijns, fo may Ke*^ performed in lefs tlian half the 



titrife It would require if the weeds were permitted to 



grow large, and the furi and ^vind ;\^ill rrtuch fooner 



\kill them ; this Hoeing will J|Q.ftiXiheJurface pf t 



'ground, and greatly promote the _grow;th of the 



plants; if it is performed in dry weather, the ground 



will be clean till the firft crop of Woad is gathered, 



after which it muft be again w;eil cleaned -, if this 



' is carefully repeated, after th? gathering of each 



crop, the land will always lie clean, and the plants 



will thrive the better. The expence of the firft hoe- 



' ihg will be aBout fix fhillihgs per acre ; and for the 



after-hoeingshalf that price will be fufficient, provided 



they are performed when the weeds are younec ; for if 



• they are lurrerea to grow large, it will require , more 



labour, nor can it be fo well performed ; therefore it 



is not only the beft hufbahdry to do this work foon, 



'V Biit it will be found ]ihecheapeft nfethdd ;'for the fame 



'^^number of men will hoe a field^of ten acres three times, 



when it is perfornled while the weeds are. young, as 



' ^:^^ required to hoe it twice only, becaufe the weeds 



'"'^have longer tirhe to grow between the operations. 



-If the land in which 'the feed is 1&wri," fhould have 



tharges of culture, &c/\ " 

 Thofe who cultivate this commodity, nave gangs of 

 people, who have been bred to this employment, fo 

 that whole families travel aboiit From ^ace 'to place, ' 

 wherever their principal fixes 'On laVid for the ptffpdfe ; 

 but thefe people go on in one track, juft as their pre- . 

 decefTors taught them ;' nor have their principals de- 



prach 



. 1' that there is a large field for infjprovem^nt, if any of 

 ' the cultivators of Woad Mrfe 'perfohs of gehms, and 

 -•, GOuld be prevailed on to introduce the garden cul- 

 ,<v, ture fo f^r as it may be adapted to this plant'; this I 

 nM know froni experience; having made numbers of 

 i ^ trials in the culture of this plant, therefore I Ihall in- 

 -:5Tert them here for the benefit of thofe who may 

 vrcl: have ingenuity enough to ftrike out of the old beaten 

 track. 



_ .* goodnefs of Woad cOnfifts in t^e 'fize and 



■trffatnefs of the leaves, the only method to bbtaiii this, 



' -i^is by Towing the feed upon ground at a proper feafon, 



^rv'aHS allow the plants proper room to grow, as alfo to 



^l.'>kcep them clean from weeds ; which, if permitted to 



"1':. if to grow, will rob the plants of their nburi'iftament. 



■The 'method praftifed by fome of the nidft fkilful 



wii> kitchen-gardeners in the culture of Spinach, would 



be 



'.-'-■them have improved the round-leaved Spinach fo 

 • >i^^ much by culture, as to have the leaves more than fix 

 - >' times the fize they were forinerly X and their" fatnefs 

 ' "^ lias' Been in the fame proportion, upon tHeTame land, 

 '5>; which has been efiefted by ^thinning of the plants 

 ^^^'whcn young, and keeping the ground _conftanrly 

 •^-> clean from weeds ; but to return to the culture of 



i!'^ After having made choice of a proper fpot of land, 

 which fhould hot be too light ihd fandy,"" ribf over ftiff 



.-*^», 



J^ not in good 



it J5 fown, in 

 rabl 



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and moift, but 



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L cafe rotten ftable dung is preferjble tQ ^ny : 



• buV this' Ihould not be^ laid on till the laft 



^^'p%ughihg befo?e t^^ feeds are fown," and not Ipreiad 



iiT aT the land is ploughed, fh^t th? -fun may 'riot 



^'^^.of m >hici\ 



'• " parts will eafily feparatfe f the next is to plough this up 



•— - juft before winter, layins; it in narrow high ridges, 



' ^ that the froft may penetrate through tiie nages, to 



- • rmellbw'ahd foften the clods ; then in the fpring plough 



. •- -< it again crofTway, laying it 'again in narrow ridges'; 



^-■•; after it has lain fom« time irt^this mafinef, and ,thfe 



'-'weeds begih to' growf it fhould be well harrowed to 



. deftroy them ; this fhould be twice repeated while the 



-■' weeds are young, and if there are any roots of large 



— perennial wee'ds, they muft be harfowsd out, Endear- 



> Tied off the grouiid.^ In June the ground fhould be a 



third time ploughed, when the furrows fhould be riar- 



' ^hw " 



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and when the weeds appear again, theground fhould 



' be well harrowed to dcftroy them. '^-Toward the end 



• ' of July, or the beginning of Aiigiift, -it lEould be 



;- ploughed the laft timiS; ^vhen the farid fhould be laid 



\ '• fmooth, and when there is a profpeft of fhowers, the 





r loft, when fprea^ on the grounds itie quantity 

 /'fhould hot be lefs than twenty loads to each acre, 

 "" whicK will keSjp the ground in heart till the "crop of 



_ Woad is fpent^ ::u:;.:^>:;(.^;.it m:^-^^ ^^if^:] r- - i^r 

 ;f;' The Time for gathering the.?rop is. according to the 



feafon, bupjt fhould be ^perforined as fppn as the 

 leaves are fuiiy grown, While they are perfectly green ; 

 ^ for when they begin to change pale^ great part of 

 t their goodrieYs is oyer ; for the quantity will be lels, 

 ';-'and the^qdality greatly dimihifhedt ^r-^;;^i' ^^^i 

 ,; If the land is good, and thp prop well hufbanded, it 



^_ ^..,„, - '^will produce three, or four gatherings, but the two 



row, and the ground ftirred as deep as the plough will I *' firft are the beft ; theje are conjrnpnly mixed together 

 ^« .!__.. i_ , ,, ^ t ^k^ 'in'themanufafturing of it,' but the after-crops are al- 



,; ways kept' feparate ; for if thefe ktt mixed with the 

 .^'/pther, tfe wnole w^ be of little yalue. .^ The t^v^o 

 '* firft' crops will fell fron^.t^qpty-five to thirt/ pounds 

 JJa ton; but the_lattej ,wilt ijQf.^ripg more, than 

 "' feven or eight pounds, and fometimes not fo much. 



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