TO HIS GARDENER 59 



also be sown in Oct° or beginning of Nov*" in order to be ready 

 to shoot the earlier in Spring, which would give us much more 

 vigorous plants. I am aware of the objections from Mice, and 

 frosts Spewing out. But when I Balance, I incline to think 

 the advancing the growth is to be preferred. As for the 

 spewing out, I think we may by a little pains Extraordinary 

 do a good deal towards curing of that. After sowing and 

 covering as usual I would riddle on a Coat of ashes or of Saw- 

 dust which if the Carpenters are spoke to in time they'l save. 

 This coat I would make at least a good inch thick tho"* you 

 should rake a little of it off in the beginning of the Spring if 

 you then think it too thick. This will go a great way to save 

 the spewing up and will even do them good by keeping them 

 warm in Winter, which will also help their coming away more 

 vigorously than I observe they commonly do. I am much for 

 quickening the growth of all Nursery plants and giving them 

 more strength than is common in our Country. It not only 

 advances them a year in three at least, but they thrive the 

 better when planted out, having more strength both in body 

 and roots. For this reason I ordered the dunging and taking 

 crops of pease or the like the first year in the Nursery, that the 

 dung being rotted and so meliorating the common soil by mixing- 

 some of the substance of the dung with it and then mixing of 

 all together in next working will enable it to give strength to 

 the plants of Nursery trees and advance them in growth without 

 danger of burning the tender fibers by the fresh dung. You saw 

 what the mixture did to the Silver Firs tho' they had been 

 stunted and starved in too poor ground so long. I designed, but 

 it went out of my head, to have ordered them a refreshment the 

 beginning of this Winter. Above Seeds sown the end of the 

 year I would first put thro' the riddle the thickness of a Straw 

 of the dust of pidgeon dung and above that the inch of Ashes 

 or Saw dust as above. All this would nourish and give vigour 

 to the Seeds and prevent their spewing and I believe there 

 would seldom be occasion for raking off the coat, but that 

 might be done or not as we saw in Spring. By such manage- 

 ment our Nurseries would advance faster and be every way 

 better. Next as to the Vermin and for that pains must be 

 taken with traps right set, looked to frequently, and the bates 



