Mar.] The Kitchen Garden. 137 



thinned where they are too thick, leaving them five or fix 

 inches afunder, that they may have room to grov/ without 

 drawing each other up weak. 



They will be pretty ftrong and fit to plant out in June. 

 See the work of that month. 



Or cardoon feed may be fowed at once where the plants 

 are to remain, in rows five feet afunder. 



Po/afoes. 



Potatoes may be planted any time this month, but 

 about the middle of the month is a proper time to begin 

 that work. 



Thefe roots thrive befl in a moderately light or loofe 

 foil, and where it is not wet, and if you add Tome dung, 

 it will be a great advantage. 



In planting potatoes, be careful to procure fome good 

 fets ; that isj to pick a quantity of the beil kinds of po- 

 tatoes, choofing fuch as are perfeuly found, and of a 

 tolerable large iize : thefe are to be prepared for planting 

 by cutting or quartering them : that is to fay, each root 

 to be cut into two, three, or more pieces, minding par- 

 ticularly that each piece be furniihed with at leali one or 

 two eyes or buds, which is fufiicicm. 



Being thus prepared, they are to be planted in rows not 

 lefs than eighteen inches diibmce, but will be more eligible 

 if two or three feet afunder, and to be fet twelve or fifteen 

 inches dillaat in the roY/, and five or fix deep. 



As to the mechod of planting, it is moil commonly per- 

 formed v.iih a thick blunt-ended dibble; but fome plant 

 them as they proceed in digging or plowing the ground, 

 placing them in the trenches or furrows, as you go on, turn- 

 ing the earth of che next trench or furrow, over them ; and 

 fo on to the end. Others firft dig or plow the ground, 

 then drav/ drills with an hoe or plough, about fix inches 

 deep, and fo drop the fets in the drills, and cover them in ; 

 and fome perfons hole them in with a fpade, by taking out 

 a fmall fpit of earth for each fet, which a boy drops in 

 the hole, whilil the mian covers it with the earth of the 

 next aperture. 



Thofe perfons who plant large quantities, and pradife 

 plancjng them with dibbles, have dibbles made for that 

 purpcfe J they are about three feet long, with a crofs 

 fean-dleat top, to take ho Id on with both hands, and the-lower 



end 



