M E 



Land, which fliould be well plough'd 

 and drefs'd, and the Roots ot all 

 noxious Weeds, iiich ' as Couch- 

 grafs, Sec. deftroy'd, otherwifc thefe 

 will overgrow the Plants while 

 young, and prevent their Progress. 



The befl Time to fow the Seed 

 is about the Beginning of April, 

 when the Weather is fettled and 

 fair i for if you fow it when the 

 Ground is very wet, or in a rainy 

 Scafbn, the Seeds will burfl: and 

 come to nothing, (as is often the 

 Cafe with feveral of the Legumi- 

 nous Plants) therefore you lliould 

 always obferve to (bw it in a dry 

 Seafbn j and if there happens fome 

 Rain in about a Week or ten Days 

 after it is fbwn, the Plants will ibon 

 appear above-ground. 



But the Method I would direct 

 for the fowing thefe Seeds, is as 

 follows : After having harrow'd 

 the Ground very fine, you fhould 

 make a Drill quite acrofs the Ground 

 about an Inch deep, into which 

 the Seeds ibould be fcatter'd very 

 thini then cover them over about 

 half an Inch thick, or fbme- 

 what more with the Earth 5 then 

 proceed to make another Drill 

 about two Feet from the former, 

 ibwing the Seeds therein in the 

 iame manner as before, and fb 

 proceed through the whole Spot of 

 Ground, allowing two Feet Di- 

 ilance between Row and Row, and 

 fcatter the Seeds very thin in the 

 Drills. In this manner, an Acre of 

 Land will require about lix Pounds 

 of Seeds J lor when it is ibwn 

 thicker, if the Seed grows well, 

 the Plants will be fo clofe as to 

 fpoil each other in a Year or two, 

 the Heads of them growing to a 

 confiderable Size, as will alfo the 

 Roots, provided they have Room. 

 I have meaiur'd the Crown of one 

 Root, which was in my PofTcfli- 



VOL. II. 



M E 



on, eighteen Inches Diameter, from 

 w^hich 1 cut near four hundred 

 Shoots at one time, which is an 

 extraordinary Increafe, and this up- 

 on a poor, dry, gravelly Soil, which 

 had not been dung'd for many 

 Years, but the Root was at leaft 

 ten Years old i fo that if this Crop 

 be well cultivated, it will continue 

 many Years, and be equally as good 

 as when it was firft fown, for the 

 Roots do generally run down very 

 deep in the Ground, provided the 

 Soil be dry J and although they 

 Ihould meet a hard Gravel a Foot 

 below the Surface, yet their Roots 

 would penetrate it and make their 

 Way downward, as I have experi- 

 enc'd, having taken up fbme of 

 them which were above a Yard in 

 Length, and had run above two 

 Feet into a Rock of Gravel, which 

 was fo hard as not to be loofen'd 

 without Mattocks and Crows of 

 Iron, and that with much Dif- 

 ficulty. 



The Reaibn for dire6ling this 

 Seed to be fown in Rows, is, that 

 the Plants may have Room to 

 grow i and for the better ilirring 

 the Ground between them, to de- 

 ftroy the Weeds, and encourage 

 the Growth of the Plants, which 

 may be very ealily effe6ted with 

 a fmall Breaft-PIough, juft after the 

 cutting the Crop each time, which 

 will caufe them to (boot again in a 

 very little time, and be much 

 ftrongcr than in fuch Places where 

 th-e Ground cannot be ftirred : But 

 you can't pretend to ufe a Plough 

 the firft Seafon amongfl it, until 

 the Plants have taken good Root 

 in the Ground} therefore when 

 they hrll: come up, the Ground 

 between fliould be hoed : And if 

 in doing of this you cut up the 

 Plants where they are too thick, 

 it will caufe the remaining to be 

 I much 



