114 OF SHRUBS, SHRUBBERIES,. &C, SECT. *X,. 



poor or indifferent ground, the soil should be previ- 

 ously cleared, well dug, &Q&. trenched, and that a^ 

 long before planting as may be. For spring plant- 

 ing, this preparation work ought to be done in au- 

 tumn or in winter 9 that the soil may have the benefit 

 of frosts, and other helps from the atmosphere, 

 which is a circumstance of nuich consequence in* 

 the case. 



Tillage not only saves manure, but is superior to- 

 il, where time can be allowed exhausted ground. In 

 planting shrubs and trees, it is desirable to do with- 

 out dung, as much as possible ; and therefore a little 

 soot, or turf-ashes, &c. sprinkled over the ridges of 

 trenched ground, is good ; and if the trenches were 

 turned over once a month, the advantage in success 

 would be fully answerable to the trouble. 



As spring is, on the whole, rather the fittest time 

 for moving evergreen shrubs, and as the deciduous, 

 sorts do then also very well, shrubberies and clumps- 

 will properly enough be the work of March, a little 

 earlier or Uter, according to the soil and season. 

 Light sand * soils should always be planted in good 

 time, and any fair weather that appears settled^ 

 should not be neglected: the beginning of April, 

 however, is by some reckoned the best season for 

 planting shrubs, A good medium way is to plant 

 the deciduous sorts the beginning of March ; and, 

 leaving places for the evergreen kinds, plant them 

 the end of March or the beginning of April. But 

 it were still a better way (if the ground i& in order) 

 to plant deciduous shrubs in autumn, and the ever- 

 green sorts in spring. 



If autumn be the season fixed for planting, it will 

 be proper, before the frost coraes in, to cover the 

 roots of shrubs, and especially of ever greens, with 

 litter, and indeed at spring it should be so ; for nei- 

 ther frost nor drought should be suffered to affect 



