Feb.] 



The Kitchen Garden. 51 



m:iy be either any prepared compoil of the temperatnre of 

 light rich kitchen-garden earth, or in default of this, m?.y 

 take a quantity from any of tlie quarters of the kitchen- 

 garden, provided it be naturally light and dry, and well 

 enriclied with dung ; but thefe earths fhould be prepared 

 three or four months before you want to ufe them, fo fhould, 

 in a dry time, about Michaelmas, be brought in and thrown 

 up in a heap ridgeways, in a dry place, open to the fun and 

 free air, mixing therewith at the fame time fome good rot- 

 ten dung, breaking and blending both well together : a 

 due quantity of this compoft heap, Hiould be carried into 

 i'ome Ihed, or other fheltered place, open in front to the 

 fun, a month or fortnight at leail before you want it, that 

 it may be preferred perfectly dry for earthing the bed. 



Then when the bed is in order, lay about half a bufliel, 

 or rather more, of earth, juft under in the middle of each 

 light, raifmg each parcel of earth in a round hillock, ten 

 or twelve inches Jiigh : then let thefpaces between the hil- 

 locks, and quite to the fides of the frame, be covered with 

 the fame fort of earth, two cr three inches thick, which is 

 by degrees to be augmented till raifed as high as the top 

 ojf the hills, as hereafter directed. 



The reafon for laying the earth in little hills, is becaufe 

 we may venture to ufe the bed fome days fooner than if it 

 was to be earthed all over to. the full thicknefs at once,; 

 far if the bed fliould burn after the plants are in, you can 

 more readily prevent the earth, and alfo the roots of the 

 plants, from being burnt thereby, by drawing the earth 

 away round the bottom of the hills as it burns, and fupply 

 the place iiill with more frefh mold : fo that if the bed 

 v/as to be molded at once all over to the intended depth, 

 the above precaution could not be practifed. 



As foou as the bed is earthed-as above, put on the glaffes ; 

 and by the next day, the hillocks of earth will be warm ; if 

 they be, level the top of each a little, fo that they may be 

 about eight or ten inches thick, or thereabouts ; then be- 

 gin to put in the plants. 



Previous to this, obferve, that having, lail: month, di- 

 refted the plants to be pricked into fmall pots, they are now 

 to be turned out of thefe pots with the ball of earth entire, 

 and planted, one pot of plants in each of the above hills 

 of earth : but in order to have the whole ball of earth" ad- 

 here cloiely about the roots, it is eligible to give the 

 D 2 pots 



