176 



sort, I should much recommend, that the entire area, com- 

 prising all the trees of the group, be trenched at once, and 

 reaching to at least five yards beyond the stakes, which mark 

 the outside plants. Thus, the labour of wheeling earth, to 

 close in the work at each particular space or circle, is saved, 

 and a much wider range given to the roots to extend freely. 

 In fact, the number of additional or extra poles of ground to 

 be turned over is trifling, whilst a considerable saving is 

 made, in the lesser depth of the trench required, particularly 

 on stiff land, and a great additional value conferred on the 

 ground itself. 



There is no soil, of which the produce, whether in grain- 

 crops or in pasture, will not be increased by the one half, in 

 consequence of such stirring and deepening; and there are 

 many soils, those of a thin quality in particular, on which 

 these processes will double the produce, if the new earth 

 brought lip be properly pulverized, and manured with com- 

 post. Besides, from poor clays, and lands inclined to mois- 

 ture it will banish rushes effectually (if rushes be produced by 

 surface causes,) one of the most troublesome weeds which 

 we have to eradicate. It is unnecessary to pursue the sub- 

 ject further in this place, although it has hitherto attracted no 

 general notice. But, as it rises greatly in the scale of inte- 

 rest and consequence, from its importance to both husbandry 

 and arboriculture, it may be worth while to give the details 

 and explanations in a Note below, to which I refer the in- 

 quisitive reader.* 



In trenching entire spaces or areas for groups, moreover, 

 two important savings are made in the execution of the 

 work. First, in the trenching itself; as not more than eight- 

 een inches are necessary for the deepening a light soil, and 

 one that is heavy, not more than twenty inches. This sa- 

 ving obviously results from the far greater and more uni- 



* Note V. 



