Ghap. Q. concerning E A R T H^ &"€. 103 



before his Superiors, tended lio lefs than to 

 make him guilty of Magical Arts ) had with 

 the Spade and Knife (worn bright with Ufe) 

 brought alfo his Baskets of Compoft, they 

 might juftly have been arraigned as fome of 

 the guiltieft Accomplices in this ironically 

 enormous, tho* rather virtuous and laudable 

 Crime. This is fo very precious to the in- 

 duftrious Planter, that I have often thought 

 thofe Gentlemen which have writ concerning 

 Gardening, have not either rightly under- 

 ftood the praftical Ufe of it, or that they 

 have difingenuoufly concealed it from the 

 World 5 elfe they would, as it were, lay it 

 at every Garden-door, before ever they fet 

 forward one Step in Gard ning, of which 

 this is the Vital Principle. 



The firft Thing therefore to be done in%^/^/^ 

 Gardening, is to confider where to get Mate- ^^o^;V/^^ 

 rials for making large Heaps or Lef^als, or. Earth/or 

 as we now call them. Magazines, (probably ^^5 ^^^'' 

 in Allufion to thofe belonging to an Army, 

 and without which indeed the po^ couragi- 

 ous General may as well fight, as the indu- 

 fttious Botanic plant.) A^d as thofe Maga- 

 zines are to be adapted fo/ the Improvement 

 of the Soil the Gard'net is to work upon, 

 they ought to be mix*d accordingly, as they 

 are either for lights fandy^ and loofe^ or heavy ^ 

 clayey^ and cloddy Land 5 fince 'tis certain 

 that lights loofe Land, requiring a proper Li- 

 gature, ought to have Compoft of a more 

 heavy Nature, fuch as the Scouring of deep 

 H 4 Ditches, 



