III.] THE AMERICAN GARDENER 87 



time ; but, were it for nothing but the look, ought 

 not the log- to give place to the roller? 



167. If I have strayed here out of the garden into 

 the field, let it be recollected, that I write princi- 

 pally for the use of farmers. I now return to gar- 

 den-sowing. 



168. When the seeds are properly, and at suit- 

 able distances, placed in the drills, rake the ground, 

 and, in all cases, tread it with your feet, unless it 

 be very moist. Then rake it slightly again ; for all 

 seeds grow best when the earth is pressed closely 

 about them. When the plants come up, thin them, 

 keep them clear of weeds, and attend to the direc- 

 tions given under the names of the several plants. 



TRANSPLANTING. 



169. The weather for transplanting, whether of 

 table vegetables, or of trees, is the same as that for 

 sowing". If you do this work in wet weather, or 

 when the ground is wet, the work cannot be well 

 done. It is no matter what the plant is, whether it 

 be a cucumber plant, or an oak-tree. It has been 

 observed, as to seeds, that they like the earth to 

 touch them in every part, and to lie close about 

 them. It is the same with roots. One half of the 

 bad growth that we see in orchards arises from neg- 

 ligence in the planting- ; from tumbling the earth 

 carelessly in upon the roots. The earth should be 

 fnc as possible; for, if it be not, part of the roots 

 will remain untouched by the earth. If ground be 

 wet, it cannot be fine. And, if mixed wet, it will 

 remain in a sort of mortar, and will cling and bind 

 together, and will leave more or less of cracks, when 

 it become dry. 



170. If possible, therefore, transplant when the 

 ground is not wet ; but, here again, as in the case 

 of sowing, let it be dug, or deeply moved, and well 



