FEB.] THE NURSERY. 161 



them on the approach of winter, which will keep them dry, and con- 

 sequently in a better state for sowing when the season arrives. 



The above mode of preparation is the result of the Author's expe- 

 rience for upwards of twenty years, being* in the habit of raising 

 several millions of thorn-quicks annually. 



Your haws being prepared as above, make ready a piece of good, 

 rich ground, neither upon an elevated situation, nor too low; in the 

 former, the summer drought would be unfriendly, and in the latter, 

 they would be subject to mildew; this must be done as early in 

 spring as you can get the ground to work freely and pulverize well ; 

 for the haws begin to throw out roots at a very early period, and if 

 not sown at this time or before, a great number of those roots will be 

 broken off in the act of sowing, and thereby totally lost ; the others 

 which escape this accident, having their radicles extended on the 

 surface, penetrate the earth at the extreme points of those roots, 

 forming right angles with the parts already produced, by which 

 means they can never drive up the seed-leaves with as much vigor 

 as if the radicles descended immediately in a perpendicular direction 

 from the stones of the fruit ; hence the necessity of early sowing. 



The ground, however, must not be wrought while wet, or at least 

 the seeds should not be covered with wet or heavy earth, nor too 

 deep, for if the surface should cake or become stiff in consequence 

 of dry weather ensuing, few of these young plants having broad 

 seed-leaves could bear up through it; therefore you must be very cau- 

 tious in that point; and if the earth of your bed is not light and dry 

 enough for this purpose, you must carry as much as will cover the 

 seeds from some dry compost heap, or some quarter of the garden 

 where it can be found in a suitable condition. 



On examining your haws, if you find the earth in which they are 

 mixed any way clogged with too much moisture, so that the parts 

 and seeds would not separate freely in the act of sowing, mix there- 

 with a sufficient quantity of slack-lime or wood-ashes, to accomplish 

 that end. 



Having everything in readiness, and your ground well dug, and 

 raked effectually as you proceed in the digging, still presuming that 

 it is in the best possible state of preparation, lay it out into four feet 

 wide beds, leaving twelve or fourteen inches of an alley between each, 

 and with the back of the rake push off into these alleys about three- 

 quarters of an inch of the fine raked surface of the beds, one-half of 

 each bed to the one side, and the other to the opposite ; this done, 

 sow your haws thereon, earth and all, as they had lain, so thick that 

 you may expect a thousand plants at least after every reasonable 

 allowance for faulty or imperfect seeds (there being many of these), 

 on every three or four yards of your beds ; (I have often had that 

 number upon as many feet) ; then, with a spade or shovel cast the 

 earth out of the alleys evenly over the beds, covering the seeds not 

 more than three-quarters of an inch deep, and not more than half an 

 inch if the earth be any way stiff; after which, rake the tops of the 

 beds very lightly, taking care not to disturb the seeds, in order to 

 take off the lumps and to give a neat appearance to the work. 

 11 



