sow 



so w 



small plats of ground, commonly sowing or de- 

 livering the seeds with a locked or close hand, 

 discharging them from between the fore-finger 

 and thumb, opening or pinching the thumb 

 more or less, according to the size and nature 

 of the seeds and thickness they require to he 

 sown, giving the hand a sort of jerking turn, 

 or cant forward, at the delivery, to cause the 

 seeds to spread regularly. 



' As soon as the seeds are sown they should be 

 directly raked in, before the surface of the ground 

 is rendered either too dry by the sun or wind, or 

 made too wet I ■ rain, in a regular and even man- 

 ner, so as to bury them sufficiently according to 

 their kinds, all large stones, lumpy clods, and 

 rubbish being cleared off; smaller or larger rakes 

 being used, as they may be necessary. See Rake. 

 But previous to the raking in the seeds sown 

 on the general surface in one continued space, 

 where the ground is loose, light, and dry, and in 

 a dry Season, it is sometimes the practice, after 

 sowing, to tread them in evenly by treading the 

 ground all over lightly and regularly with the feet. 

 It is also sometimes proper to pare up the loose 

 earth of the alleys an inch or two deep, and 

 spread it thinly over the surface. The work of 

 tread ins; in the seeds is performed with the feet 

 nearly close together, taking short regular steps, 

 treading the surface all over, once in a place, 

 with but small spaces between the steppings. 



But in extensive market kitchen-gardens, 

 where large tracts of ground are sown at once, 

 instead of raking in the seed, they, for the sake 

 of expedition and cheapness, have light short- 

 ened harrows to draw with men, with which 

 they harrow in the seeds; and sometimes in 

 light dry ground, and a dry surface, they after- 

 wards rolfthe ground with alight wooden roller, 

 to close and smooth the surface over the seeds 

 more effectually, performing it when the surface 

 is a little dried so as not to adhere to the roller. 

 And in large garden-farms in fields, where they 

 commonlv~plough and harrow the ground for 

 the reception of the seeds, they practise only 

 the Broad-cast sowing in continued tracts for al- 

 most all their esculent seeds, except peas, beans, 

 and kidnev-beans ; the ground being prepared 

 by ploughing, and afterwards rough- harrowed, 

 to smooth the surface moderately, the seeds 

 being then sown in the spreading open-handed 

 manner, and harrowed in either with a light 

 short-toothed horse-harrow, or by men for par- 

 ticular crops ; when, if very dry weather, they 

 roll the surface afterwards with a wooden roller, 

 drawn bv horses, &c. to smooth the surface. 



The second method of sowing is necessary 

 for many sorts of seeds, both esculent, flower, 

 tree and shrub kinds in the nursery, both for 

 the plants to remain where sown, and for 



transplantation, which is performed in drills 

 from a quarter or half an inch, to two or three 

 inches deep, according to the sizes and sorts 

 of seeds, which being sown evenly along the 

 bottom of the drill, the earth is drawn evenly 

 over them with a hoe or rake, the depths as 

 above, and the surface lightly raked smooth. 

 This mode is always proper for large kinds of 

 seeds, such as peas, beans, kidnev-beans, and 

 many large kinds of tree and shrub seeds, nuts^ 

 and berries ; it being not only the most ready 

 method of committing those large seeds to the 

 ground the proper depth, but, by being in rows 

 at a distance, best suits the natureof thegrowthof 

 these sorts of plants and their methods of cul- 

 ture. Many lands of small seeds are also the 

 most conveniently sown and cultivated in drills; 

 such as several of the kitchen-garden plants, as 

 parsley, chervil, coriander, all the sorts of 

 small-salading, and sometimes spinach, beet, 

 &c. also some of the aromatics, when designed 

 ■ as edgings; and also occasionally in rows in beds, 

 both to remain and for transplanting, such as 

 thyme, savory, hyssop, &c. likewise many 

 sorts of flower-seeds for transplantation, arid 

 sometimes to remain. It is performed bv drawing 

 the drills with a common drawing hoe, larger 

 or smaller, in proportion to the sorts of seeds 

 to be sown, setting a line as a g'iide to draw the 

 drills straight by, which are drawn of different 

 depths, as the sorts and sizes of the seeds mav 

 require, and at proportionable distances, from 

 three or four inches to as many feet, according 

 to the nature ot the plants. Sometimes, when 

 very small drills are required tor line or small 

 seeds, to be sown in a bed, border, or hot-bed, 

 it is done with the end of the linger, or with the 

 end of a small flat stick. 



The seeds should in general be sown and 

 covered in directly, if the ground is dry and m 

 good order; but if the soil is wet, especially at 

 an early season, it may be proper to sutler the 

 drills to lie open exposed to the sun and air an 

 hour or two, or more, to dry a little, particularly, 

 for tender seeds in early sowings, in the full 

 ground. The sowing in the drills is performed 

 for the most part with a locked or close hand, 

 discharging the seeds from between the fore- 

 finger and thumb, scattering them evenly along 

 the bottom of the drill, some sorts requiring to 

 be sown thinly just along the middle, such as in 

 the angular drills drawn corner-Ways of the hoe, 

 for peas and many other larger seeds ; also some- 

 times for smaller seeds when intended for 

 edgings ; but in the shallow flat-bottomed drills, 

 it is generally intended for the seeds to be scat- 

 tered evenly the whole width of the drill, thicker 

 or thinner, according to the nature of growth of 

 their respective plants. 



