S P I 



S PI 



crops in moist ground ; the seeds being so^vii 

 as above, raking tliem in evenly : drill-sowing 

 inav also be occasionally practised, drawing the 

 drills with a hoe flatways, near an inch deep, 

 and ten or twelve inches asunder, scattering the 

 seeds thinly along them, raking the eartli over, 

 full half an inch deep; which mode is very pro- 

 per in sowing between other crops, as between 

 wide rows of beans, peas, cabbages, &c. as it 

 admits of hoeing up the weeds between the 

 rows with facility ; and if sown thin, and the 

 plants be thinned properly, they grow large and 

 fine, and the produce is very conveniently ga- 

 thered. It may likewise be sown in wide drills 

 alone, about a foot distance for a distinct full 

 crop : or in rows two feet asunder, to admit of 

 intercropping in the intervals with rows of cab- 

 bages, beans, and other things occasionally- 



In these sowings the seeds should be scattered 

 moderately thin, and the plants be thinned out to 

 three inches distance at least, l)eing directly 

 raked regularly in : and when sown broad-cast 

 all over the surface, if in light loose land, and a 

 dry warm season in the advanced part of spring, 

 or in the summer and autumn, it may be pro- 

 per first to tread the seed evenly down, then 

 raking it in effectually with a large rake. 



The seeds mostly come up in a fortnight ; or 

 perhaps, if sown very early in spring, three 

 weeks or a month. 



In respect to the after-culture of the crops, 

 when the plants have three or four leaves an 

 inch broad they should be thinned and cleared 

 from weeds, either by hoe or hand ; but the 

 former is the most eligible, especially for the 

 broad-cast-sown crops ; choosing dry weather, 

 and cutting out the plants to three or four 

 inches distance, together with all the weeds in 

 every part ; but the above distance is scarcely 

 sufficient, unless intended to begin thinning 

 out the plants for use while young : in other 

 cases it is advisable to hoe them out six or 

 eight inches asunder, especially the spring and 

 summer crops of the Round Spinach, which, 

 having proper room, will grow very large, and 

 spread its broad leaves widely, and does not run 

 to seed so soon as if left close. When the 

 spring- and summer-sown crops are left too 

 close, they are apt lo draw up weak, and soon go 

 to seed. Thewintererops ofTriangularor Prickly 

 Spinach, when thinned out finally to three or 

 four inches distance, will be sufficient. 



These crops are often sown in spring with 

 other crops, for the sake of cropping the ground 

 to the best advantage ; but it is best alone. 



When the plants have leaves two or three 

 inches broad, they may be gathered. 



The method of which is,'either by cutting up 



with a knife, wholly to the bottom, or cleaning 

 out by the root if the crop wants thinning ; or 

 only cropping the large outer leaves; the root and 

 heart, remaining, shoot out again. With the 

 spring crops, when the plants want thinning, 

 they may be cut up wholly to the r^ot, thinning 

 them out where thickest in a gradual manner, 

 so as to leave the standing plants at least six or 

 eight inches distant to grow to perfection, 

 which, when beginning to shoot for seed, may 

 also be cut up wholly to the bottom : and in the 

 winter-crops, if the plants stand too close at 

 first, some may be thinned out quite to the bot- 

 tom, afterwards the larger outer leaves must only 

 be cropped m the winter, and early part of the 

 spring; but when the spring is more advanced, 

 and the plants grown large and require thinning, 

 or when they begin to run to seed, cutting them 

 up to the bottom in a thinning order. 



Some of the best of the different sorts of 

 plants should be left in the spring lo stand for 

 seed, which should be collected when well 

 ripened. 



SPIR^A, a genus containing plants of the 

 shrubby and herbaceous kinds. 



It belongs to the class and order Icosaiidria 

 Pentagynia, and ranks in the natural order of 

 Pomacece. 



The characters are : that the calyx is a one- 

 leafed five-cleft perianth, flat at the base, with 

 acute segments; permanent: the corolla has 

 five petals, inserted into the calyx, oblong-p 

 rounded : the stamina have more than twenty 

 filaments, filiform, shorter than the corolla, in- 

 serted into the calyx : anthers roundish : the 

 pistillum has five or more germs : styles as 

 many, filiforin, length of the stamens : stigmas 

 headed : the pcricarpium is an oblong capsule, 

 acuminate, compressed, two-valved : the seeds 

 few, acuminate, small, fastened to the internal 

 suture. 



The species cultivated are: 1. S. salidfolia. 

 Willow-leaved Spiraea ; 2. S. tonientosa, Scarlet 

 Spirsa ; 3. S. Iiypericifolki, Hypericum-leaved 

 Spiraea; 4. S'. areentea, Silvery-leaved Spir^a; 

 5. S. c/iamcpdrijoiia, Germander-leaved Spiraea; 

 Q. S. crenata, Hawthorn-leaved Spiraea; 7- iS\ 

 irUoba, Three-lobe-leaved Spiraea ; 8. S. vpuli- 

 Jblia, Currant-leaved Spirasa ; 9. S. sorbijolia. 

 Service-leaved Spira-a; 10. S. ^rimciis, Goat's- 

 beard SpiBea ; 11. S. Jilipendiila, Conuiion 

 Dropwort ; 12. S. ulmurki. Common Mea- 

 dow Sweet; 13. S. trifuliatu, Three-leaved 

 Spiraa. 



The first has the stalks very taper, and rough 

 towards the top, and covered with a reddish 

 bark : the leaves about three inches long, and 

 an inch broad in the middle, bluntly serrate. 



