120 The Kitchen Garden. [Mar. 



part thereof, without your feet finking in holes ; whereas, 

 if, in light, loofe, ground, it was not to be trodden as 

 above, after fowing the feed, that when you ftand thereon 

 to rake it in, your feet wouli fink, at every ftep, in deep 

 holes; and in raking, the feed would be unavoidably 

 drawn into them, and the plants would thereby rife ftrag- 

 gling and in clufters; but in the other method, they 

 will rife regularly in every part : though when the 

 ground is divided into bfeds, we may readily ftand in the 

 alleys, and rake in the feed, which may be more eligible 

 in a wet or very moift foil. 



If the ground is light and is to be in beds, with alleys be- 

 tween, you may either occafionally tread in the feed, or not, 

 and pare the alleys an inch or two deep, and ftrew the earth 

 over thebeds,whichwill help tobury the feed more eifeftually. 

 But let it be obferved, that where the ground is natu- 

 rally wet, and apt to bind, it will hot be fo proper to 

 tread in the feed as above, but to divide the ground in 

 beds, four, five, or fix feet wide, with alleys twelve 

 inches wide between, and to ftand in the alleys to fow the 

 feed, and alfo rake it into the ground; or, after the feed 

 is fown, and before you rake the ground, you may firft 

 pare the alleys as above-mentioned, and fpread the earth 

 over the beds, and then rake them. 



But in fowing of onions, leeks, and many other fmall 

 feeds, that infiead of fowing on the rough furface and 

 , raking in, the following method is the general prafticeia" -^ 

 fome places. 



The ground is digged or trenched in the common way, 

 and at every ten or fifteen feet, as you advance in the 

 digging, rake the furface fmooth ; then divide the ground 

 into four feet and a half-wide beds, with fpade-wide alleys 

 between them ; and then with the back of the rake, fhove 

 the earth evenly oif the furface of the beds, half an 

 inch or an inch deep, into the alleys, in a little ridge 

 along the edge of the beds, ready to draw over the feeds 

 when fovv'ed, then direftly fow the feed on the furface 

 ^ of the bed ; and with the rakej draw the earth out of the 

 alley evenly over it an eqaal depth ; and lightly rake the 

 furface of each bed fmooth, clearing oiF all ftones and 

 hard clods. 



Thofe who would make the moft of their ground, may 

 fow a thin fprinkling of cos-lettuce feed with that of the 

 onions and leeks. Many 



