FEB.] THE KITCHEN.GARDEN. 107 



plants, as carrots, parsneps, Sec. one good spade deep may be suf- 

 ficient for common trenching, unless on particular occasions, to 

 trench as deep as the good soil admits, to turn the exhausted earth 

 to the bottom, and the fresh to the top to renew the soil. However, 

 you should be careful not to trench deeper than the proper soil ; and 

 the trenching only one spade deep, will much more effectually 

 renew the soil than plain digging ; and by paring the top of each 

 trenching, two or three inches deep into the bottom, all seeds of 

 weeds on the surface are thereby buried so deep, that they cannot 

 grow ; and I should likewise advise that the general digging be 

 performed principally, especially in stiff ground, before the setting 

 in of the winter frosts, or early in spring ; but it would be better 

 done if, some considerable time before the season for putting in the 

 crops, that the ground might have the advantage of fallow, to melio- 

 rate and enrich it ; and always let the ground be trenched in rough 

 ridges, that it may receive all possible benefit from the sun, air, 

 rains, frost, &c. to fertilise and pulverise the soil, before it is levelled 

 down for the reception of seeds and plants ; and this levelling down 

 will be an additional improvement, in breaking, dividing, and melio- 

 rating the earth. Plain digging, however, may be sufficient for 

 most of the slight crops, especially in summer or autumn, after 

 the ground has been trench-digged in the general winter or spring 

 digging, 



As to manure. ...any kind of dung, or compost of dung and earth, 

 js proper ; and if this could be suited to the nature of the soil, it 

 would be of greater advantage, that is, for ground of a strong, 

 heavy, cold nature } have for manure, a compost of well-rooted dung, 

 ashes, or any sandy earths ; and if light sandy ground, have the 

 moistest sort of dung, and heavy earths ; though any kind of well- 

 rooted dung will suit as proper manure for almost every soil, but 

 none better than the dung of old hotrbeds, which is the most com- 

 mon manure in kitchen-gardens, being horse stable-dung, first 

 used in hot-beds, where it becomes rotted to a soft, moist tempe- 

 rament, of an extremely enriching quality, and suits almost all 

 kinds of soil and plants ; or some of the same quality from dung- 

 hills is equally eligible ; but well-rooted neat'srrdung is also very- 

 good, particularly for light grounds ; or a compost of different kinds, 

 as 'horse-dung, neatVdung, hog's-dungs, farm-yard dung, or mulch, 

 ashes, lime-rubbish broken small, sawdust, rotten tan, having all 

 lain together till well rotted, will make excellent compost manure. 



The manuring, or dunging; the ground, may be necessary every 

 year or two ; for all crops being of an exhausting nature in every 

 soil, the vegetative vigour of the soils must be supported accord- 

 ingly by a proper application of manure ; but once every two or 

 three years, at furthest, the ground in general will want amend- 

 ment ; though, where there is plenty of dung, give it as far as it 

 will go every year, especially for the principal crops, such as onions, 

 cauliflowers, cabbages, Sec. for as the different crops exhaust the 

 soil, the addition of dung fertilizes and renews it ; which, when duly 

 applied in proper quantities, the various crops will not only be much 

 finer, but arrive to earlier perfection than in poor starved ground, 



