132 THE PRACTICAL PLANTER. 



the pit highest : whereby the plant will stand 

 as if on level ground, and the moisture be 

 retained in the hollow of the angle, evidently 

 to its advantage. 



Thirdly, planting by slit, or the letter T 

 as commonly termed. And here I must 

 declare, that I am no advocate for this mode. 

 It should never be practised except where 

 there is no more soil than is absolutely occu- 

 pied by the fibres of the herbage which grow 

 thereon. Except on turf, it cannot be per- 

 formed ; nor should it, if the turf is found 

 three inches thick. By the mode of prepa- 

 ration already shown, that turf is capable of 

 being converted into a proper mould in the 

 space of a few months. The expence of 

 pitting can never counterbalance the risk of 

 success, in the eye of an ardent planter. 



The method is this : Strike the spade at 

 random, to the depth of the turf; strike it 

 crosswise at the end of this incision, and at 

 right angles with it, sloping the spade consi- 

 derably outwards in the mouth, so as that 

 its handle form an acute angle with the sur- 

 face ; press the hand towards the ground, 

 until the gash is sufficiently opened Xo re- 



